Mama, I'm In Love With A Criminal
by LaurneaTheFirst
Summary: Maka Albarn is a 23 year old woman living her life as any normal 23 year old would, until one night, she and a dangerous young man from her past cross roads once again, changing her life into one full of risks and danger. Certain situations force them to become closer and the closer they get, the more danger she is put in. SOMA! M-rated for later chapters! (ahem.. LEMON.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **Hello, everyone! My name is Laurnea and I come to you with my brand new series, 'Mama, I'm in love with a criminal'! Before you ask, yes I got the name from Britney Spears' song 'Criminal' and yes, I got the idea of the story from it. If you're not entirely sure about what to expect from this series, then these first two chapter should be able to explain the gist of it. I don't like ruining all the suspense by just straight out telling you what the fanfic is about! w Anyway, I don't wanna keep you from reading, so here comes the disclaimers! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! Alright, now that that's out of the way, happy reading! Leave a review, please! (: :D**

 _CHAPTER 1:_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

 _BZZ. BZZ._

 _"Tsubaki 7:08pm_

 _R u ready? We r supposed to meet w/ Liz n Patty b4 the reunion."_

An exasperated sigh escaped my lips while I read the new message that popped up on my phone's lock screen. I had no desire whatsoever to go to this reunion to be frank. It had only been five years since we graduated from high school and I'm still awfully close to all my high school friends, so what was the point? Doesn't that seem a bit too soon, anyway? I mean, c'mon!

Instead of answering Tsubaki's text I left the phone atop the sink as I leaned over to get a closer look in the mirror while I put the finishing touches on my makeup, but then…

 _BZZ. BZZ._

 _"Tsubaki 7:08pm 2 minutes ago_

 _R u ready? We r supposed to meet w/ Liz n Patty b4 the reunion."_

"Ugh! I really hate that feature!" I cursed as the sound almost made me poke my eye with my mascara brush. Aggravated, I snatched my cell phone off the counter and replied

 _"Yea, yea, I'm almost done. Wait 4 me Deathbucks." SEND._

 _That ought to keep them quiet._ I checked my face from each angle and tied my hair up into a top knot, pulling out a few hair strands to frame my face and walked out of the bathroom when I felt content with my appearance. Back in my bedroom, I checked myself out in my mirrored closet doors to see the final look. I was posing in the mirror, wearing a black, bodycon dress that hugged each part of my body, exposing my shoulder and reaching right at the middle of my slim thighs. It was plain, but I approved of the style for tonight's event. My shoes were four-inched black pumps with a pointed-toe that complimented my calves pretty well as well as the dress. _Perfect._ To finish the look, I added a diamond ring on my right ring finger a plain, small diamond necklace and dangling, plain diamond earrings to match.

"Alright, now I just need to grab my coat and my purse. I should probably call Tsubaki too," I noted. I did just that. I grabbed my long, black dress coat and silver handbag to carry little things like my wallet, keys and lipstick. I dialed Tsubaki's number and waited for her to answer before I made any other moves.

"Hello?" she answered. I smiled and began to turn the lights off in the house.

"Hey, Tsu. I'm just about to leave my apartment. Are you and the girls already there?" I asked as I walked to the front door to leave and lock it behind me.

"Yeah, we're here. Are you calling a cab to come get here?"

"Nah, I'll just walk. I've been sitting around in the house all day anyway."

"O-okay, well you better be careful. You know the streets are dangerous at this time of night." I laughed at her concern.

"You worry too much. If anyone tries to approach me, I can always Maka-chop them and make a run for it!" I joked. Tsubaki laughed.

"You're such a brute. Anyway, we'll be waiting for you. Make sure you brought your ticket for the reunion!" she hung up.

 _Crap! Did I bring it?! Oh, wait, yeah I left it in my wallet. Alright then…_ And with that, I walked down the streets of Death City, towards Deathbucks where my long-time best friends from middle school awaited me.

* * *

As I walked down a couple a streets, I've gotten a couple of whistles and a few honks of the horn, but it only managed to sour my mood even more. I'll admit that during these past few years, I've filled out in some areas where I used to be lacking, but I couldn't help it! I hated the attention I got because of it, always have, always will.

Trying my best to ignore the passes, I stomped on my way to the coffee shop, moving faster than before. I wanted off of these streets ASAP.

 _I swear… those guys are so damn lucky that I've got places to be! How rude… I don't get why guys always have to try to get a girl's attention like they're some dog! Like, hello, I have a name! Don't whistle at me like some damn canary bird, ya' damn idiots! UGH!_

Something interrupted my thoughts in that moment that brought me back to reality… something that only managed to piss me off even more, believe it or not! As I angrily made my way through Death City, some man with a black hoodie, black jeans and black sneakers ran past me, harshly bumping into my shoulder and almost trampling me over.

I quickly snapped my head back at him, but he just kept running, not even acknowledging me. _Oh hell no!_

"Hey, watch where you're going, buddy! Jeez!" I glared at his back, getting smaller the further he ran. I saw him turn slightly to my out of the corner of his eye as he ran, but he wasted no time in looking out to the road in front of him once again as he ran from whatever he was trying to get away from. _What a weirdo…_

I turned back on to my path and continued to walk, but not long after the suspicious man bumped into me, a cop also bumped into the same arm as he ran. I was about to tell him off, but unlike before, this guy actually turned around to apologize to me before he made a run for it, yelling after the suspicious man. _What the hell? Was that guy running from the cop? Whatever. It's none of my business._ Like nothing happened, I continued to the coffee shop that was not that far from where I was now. _Finally._

* * *

I entered the shop with a jangle as the bells on the door rang when it closed behind me. It didn't take me long to find the girls' table when they called out to me as soon as I walked in.

"Maka! Over here!" Liz shouted, waving one arm in the air like a maniac. I shook my head, making my way over to their table and taking an empty seat next to Tsubaki.

"Hey guys, what's up?" I greeted. Liz and the others didn't answer me as their eyes widened along with the grins on their faces. I blushed under their harsh gazes and wondered what on Earth they could be see happy about. "W-what?" I timidly asked.

"What do you mean, 'what'?! You look great, Maka! Guess all those fashion tips came in handy, huh?" Liz asked, cockily polishing her nails on her dress and checking them out like some professional. I blushed even harder and smiled bashfully. "Thanks," I mumbled, grabbing one of their menus and looking through it to see what I'd want to order. When I finally decided on a hot coffee with two sugars and one creamer, I called the waitress over and she made off with my order.

"Where'd Patty go?" I asked Liz, seeing that Patty up and disappeared while I was searching through the menu. Liz waved her hand in the air, uninterested and said, "She just went to go to the bathroom."

Tsubaki leaned closer to my face, eyeing me carefully as her smile was still clearly visible. "So, Maka, why so dressed up? Anyone you wanna impress?" she asked. I snorted at her comment and shook my head.

"Who on Earth would you think I'd wanna impress? All the guys from our school were a bunch of lame weirdos, no offense to you, Liz or Patty," I said crossing my arms over my chest. Tsubaki, Liz and Patty were still dating their high school crushes. As for me? I've been single since last year during my senior year of college. I guess the whole relationship thing just wasn't for me.

"Hey, what about that blonde kid that used to have a crush on you? What was his name again? Uhhhh… Hide?" Liz guessed. I pinched the bridge of my nose remembering EXACTLY who she was talking about.

"You mean, Hiro," I corrected. Yeah, Hiro Shimono used to like me… and every other girl within the vicinity of Death City! He was such a tool and every girl knew about _him!_

"Yeah, him! What happened with him? He was cute…" she noted, unnecessarily. I scoffed and rolled my eyes at the remembrance of the time I caught him making out with a girl underneath the stairs, feeling under her shirt like he was lookin' for lose treasure.

"What do you mean, 'what happened with him'? I never had a thing with Hiro. If anything, I wanted to avoid him at all costs! Who knows what that boy has with his body count!" I huffed. Liz shrugged her shoulders and continued looking down at her menu for something else to order. Patty eventually rejoined us again with a huge smile on her face as she played Candy Crush Saga on her phone. The waitress came over with my coffee and set it down in front of me, taking Liz's order and heading out back again to retrieve it.

It was silent as I made my alterations to my coffee to sweeten it, but after I took a sip, Liz's face glowed as she remembered something and she grabbed one of my hands with a determined look on her face. Tsubaki and I looked at each other and shrugged, waiting for Liz to say what was on her mind.

"What about that other kid, then? You know, the one that was in our biology class, sophomore year? He was the kid that had that white hair and he sat all the way in the back of the room?" she tried to recall. I didn't know who she was talking about at first and I had to think really hard, but as soon as I thought about that snow white hair, I knew just who she was referring to. I snatched my hand back and glared at her with disbelief.

"You mean Soul Evans?" I scoffed. Liz nodded her head happily and smiled ecstatically. "Yeah! The guy they used to call, the 'Soul Eater'! He was pretty cute, wasn't he?" she asked, obviously hoping I'd agree with her. Honestly, I couldn't remember what he looked like, though. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even remember how he used to look.

If I remember correctly, Soul Evans was a punk. Just some slacker who always got sent out of class for saying something inappropriate or doing what he wasn't supposed to be doing. I hated him. He wasn't someone that I had wanted to associate myself with at any point in time. He never really talked to anyone, though he'd occasionally flirt with the girls here and then. Sometimes, he used to wisecrack in class or tell off the teacher, but he never left that class unpunished, that's for sure. It had gotten to the point where half-way through the third term, Soul stopped coming to school. No one had ever seen him since then or even talked to him. No one knew what happened; everyone just assumed that he got expelled. It seemed like the most logical course of action, so no one dismissed the idea… Nobody really cared when he left; not even I. Soul 'Eater' Evans was a punk and I want nothing to do with him.

I huffed and turned my head away from Liz. "Yeah, right! Like I'd want anything to do with that delinquent! What a joke…" I spat. Liz cocked an eyebrow at me and leaned forward with a smirk on her face.

"Oh, come on, Maka. You know you used to think he was so cool. The way he used to stand up to anyone, not even caring about the consequences. He was the class' daredevil and all the girls used to swoon over him, how could you not?" she said. I blushed and gulped all of my coffee down in one huge gulp and got up from the table, making all the girls turn their heads to me.

"Come on, guys. Let's get out of here. The reunion will be starting soon," I softly spoke. I put my half of the bill on the table and walked out of the café, waiting for everyone to catch up. The other girls made haste and followed after me to the reunion, though the whole time, Liz couldn't stop talking about the 'Soul Eater' that every girl fell for until he disappeared off the face of the Earth. I paid no attention to the conversation, not wanting anything to do with that man… Still… I couldn't help wanting to know what I couldn't remember.

* * *

"Welcome to the DWMA's high school reunion! Leave your tickets here, folks and take your table number as you enter! You will be seated in just a few moments!" the ladies called. I took my ticket out and handed it to a pink-haired girl who looked vaguely familiar and she handed me my table number.

"Nice to see you again, Maka! It's been so long, hasn't it? It's me, Kim!" she greeted with a large smile on her face. My eyes widened as I looked closer at the girl who called herself 'Kim'.

"Wow, I didn't even recognize you! You look so different with your long hair!" I gasped. Kim used to be a short little pink haired girl with short pink hair who usually hung out with a long-dark haired girl named Jackie and she was easy to miss since they only really hung out with each other, but I remembered how nice she used to be and how cute she looked.

"I could say the same for you, Maka! You look hot! I'll have to catch up with you later on tonight, yeah?" she said. I nodded and waved goodbye to her as I entered the large club and sat at the table I was given. Soon after, Tsubaki, Liz and Patty took their seats at the same table and we talked as we looked around. Liz was pointing out different people to see if she could guess who was who while Patty just laughed at how funny people looked now that they're older. Tsubaki was searching around with her eyes, clearly scoping out the room to find someone in particular, but it didn't take long for _him_ to find _her._

Her blue-haired monkey of a boyfriend came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, snuggling his cheek to hers.

"Your God has arrived, my queen! Look no further!" he said, quite loud for someone who was standing right beside her. She giggled and held his hands, kissing him on the cheek. Black*Star sat next to Tsubaki on the other side of her and wrapped his arm around the back of her chair, slouching down, lazily with a bored expression on his face.

"'Sup, Maka. Liz. Patty," he greeted, boringly. I greeted him back and Liz slammed her hands on the table with a determined look in her eyes. This made everyone, even Black*Star flinch at the sudden movement.

"Black*Star! Please tell me you know about the 'Soul Eater'!" she demanded. Star blinked twice and cocked an eyebrow at her. "The what?" he asked. Liz slammed her hands down on the table again, even harder this time, scaring Black*Star once again and catching a few people's attention from around us.

"You know! The 'Soul Eater'! He was always getting sent out of class during his sophomore year and he was always telling people off! He had white hair and he never paid attention in class!" she shouted. A few guys came up to our table, hearing this from Liz and scratched the back of their necks, knowingly.

"Oh yeeeaaahhh, I know who you're talkin' about. You're talkin' about Soul Evans, right?" a man with black hair with three white stripes on the left side of his head only side, standing beside a quaking, light pink-haired man with a long black shirt on said. Liz and Patty shot up from their seats to hug the two men; Liz hugging the black haired man who went by the name 'Kid' and Patty hugging the scared looking pink-haired man that went by the name 'Crona'. Those men were their boyfriends.

"Oh, I didn't even see you there, Kid, what's up man?" Black*Star said, bumping fists with the golden eyed son of the mayor. Kid only shrugged, but quickly got back to the conversation Liz struck up.

"So what about, 'Soul Eater'?" he asked Liz. Liz looked up at him and looked back at Black*Star who flinched under her fast gaze.

"Black*Star, weren't you friends with Soul? I could've sworn I saw you two talking every now and then," she noted. Come to think of it, Black*Star loved to pick fights with people back then. He even got into some altercations with some pretty hefty dudes, but I can't ever recall him losing to a single one of them. He could've just wanted to pick a fight with Soul back then to test his strength; it's not like it's unlike Black*Star to do something like that.

Black*Star tilted his head, repeating his name over and over again until his face finally lit up in realization. "Oh! I remember him now! Yeah, I guess you could say we were cool. I tried to talk to him a few times to see what the guy was like, but we only talked once every blue moon. I wouldn't exactly call him a friend. We haven't even talked or seen each other since he up and disappeared," he said. This was a bit shocking to me, honestly. I could never see Black*Star hanging out with some low-life like Soul.

Liz nodded her head and took her seat next to Kid; Patty, taking hers next to Crona. Crona usually doesn't talk very much since he's socially awkward; that might even be putting it lightly in his case, but he did manage to put his two cents in when we were talking about Soul right then.

"I-I don't l-like t-that guy. He's too r-reckless and ob-obn-noxious! I-I don't know how to d-deal with someone like that!" he stuttered under the pressure. That's when I spoke up.

"I agree. He's just another punk who got expelled. Not worth our thoughts. Seriously," I snooted. Right then, as if ending the conversation, the lights in the club dimmed and a spotlight shone down on the stage where the mayor stood.

"Howdy! How's it goin', nice to see ya'!" he beamed throwing up a peace sign. Kid groaned in embarrassment at his dad trying to act like a youngster and he slouched in his chair. The mayor, who was also our principal continued.

"I am so happy to see all of my students grown up and gathered together again after all this time! I am truly proud of each and every one of you and I hope that tonight, we can all enjoy each other's company and have some fun, yeah? Great! Now let's party!" he declared. Everyone clapped and cheered as the music started up and some people made their way over to the dance floor.

"Huh, leave it up to Lord Death to give a brief introduction and be on his way," Liz commented. "Hey, short and sweet, short and sweet," I laughed. Liz and Patty pulled Kid and Crona onto the dance floor and Black*Star and Tsubaki talked, while I sat down at the bar at the far left of the club to get a drink.

"Just a vodka on the rocks is fine," I ordered to the waiter. He made off with my order and I took off my coat, letting it slide down my arms effortlessly. I propped myself up on my elbows, holding my chin up with my palm and let out a sigh as I waited. Sooner or later, the waiter put a glass down in front of me and I lightly sipped it, feeling every burning sting trail down my throat with every sip.

"Well, hello, beautiful," a man's voice said from beside me. I looked up to see who it was, but it was nobody special. Just a blonde, haired manwhore from the old days.

"Hiro. Didn't expect to see you so soon," I said in a monotone voice. Hiro leaned closer to my face and smiled brighter as if he were trying to seduce me with his looks. Little did he know, he wasn't anything special to me; not in the slightest. He took a seat in the stool next to mine, not taking his eyes off me for a second and he eyed me up and down with a pervy look in his eyes. Nothing new.

"My, my, Maka, how you've grown. I always thought you were cute, but I didn't think you could look this sexy," he said in a deep voice that sounded quite familiar, yet different. I scoffed at his presence and gulped down the rest of my drink, turning my back on him.

"Don't you have something better to do than to be toying with me? Go flirt with someone who's actually interested," I shot him down. Hiro didn't look phased in the least bit. Instead, he only got closer, his breath tickling the hairs on the back of my neck as he spoke.

"I always have time for you, Maka, you know that," he whispered. He lightly kissed the back of my neck, making me jump. I slammed the glass on the countertop lightly enough to not break it but hard enough to make him jump away from me. I quickly got up from my stool and stomped away from the bar. _Ugh, it's bad enough that I don't even want to be here right now. Now I've got to run into him out of all people? Today's just not my day…_

I decided to make the best of the time I've got and I walked over to certain tables to greet my old classmates, rekindling old fires, exchanging numbers to catch up, talking about our college years and what have you. Some girls were pregnant with their husbands children, some girls were engaged, some men brought their children and wives, some were deadbeats with nothing better to do than to mooch money off of others who may owe a debt or feel bad for them. It was exactly what I had expected, and just like I expected, I had left early that night, having nothing better to do than to go home.

"Tsubaki, I'm about to leave, alright? I think I've had enough for one night," I informed over the booming music as she ate her food at our table. She swallowed the rest of the food that was in her mouth before she spoke.

"Are you sure? Do you want me to walk you home? It's dangerous to go off by yourself you know," Tsubaki offered, but I wasn't having it.

"Nah, I'll be fine. Don't you worry about me. If you want, I'll text you as soon as I get home, okay?" I offered. Tsubaki nodded.

"Please do. Alright, be safe," she waved and say me off with a smile. I did the same and grabbed my things and was off on my way.

* * *

The walk wasn't completely unbearable, but I had to stay on my toes as I walked the dark, dimly-lit streets of Death City. It was very dangerous to walk around at this time and I knew that fully, but I had no other choice. Calling a cab was never an option for me. I don't know, I just don't like the idea of a complete stranger driving me places. Like, you never know if he might take a wrong turn on purpose or if he gets into a car accident or something. There just isn't any type of assurance that things will go smoothly. So that's why I walk home all the time no matter what time of day or night it is and it doesn't really bother me. As long as I'm careful, I'll be safe.

Just as I said, the walk wasn't unbearable. In fact, I got home a lot quicker than I normally would've thought. When I walked into the apartment, I unlocked the door and was greeted with a large burst of uncomfortably cold air. I walked into the apartment, confused as to why it was so cold and I locked the door behind me. I walked into the living room and saw that my balcony window was wide open, blowing the harsh wind into the apartment. I quickly closed it and locked the window. _Well that explains that, but I don't remember leaving my window open before I left._

Before I could turn around, I heard a click next to my ear and whipped around to see what on Earth it could be and there, I saw it. The dark moonlit wasn't enough to show everything, but I could clearly see that there was a shining gun pointed right in between my eyes. My eyes were wide and a couple tears involuntarily fell down my face as I quivered with fright.

 _Oh my god, who is this person and why are they in my apartment?! I need to call the police, but if I move a single inch, I'm sure I'll be a goner!_ I was freaking out, looking all around us for answers and when the gunman saw how scared I was, a deep chuckle came from him and a flash of white was seen from the dark figure. It was his sharp, shark-like teeth glinting in the moonlight. Now, I knew it was dark but I could clearly see the sharpness of his teeth and I couldn't help but think of what he could go with those things. I mean, hell! He could tear somebody's throat in one bite if he wanted to!

I shook even more and snapped my eyes shut in fear, refusing to pry them open until I was sure that this was some terrible nightmare. I felt his finger trace my jawline as delicately as he could with one soft finger, causing me to jump, but when I realized that his touch didn't hurt, I peeked up at him with one eye. The gun was still pointed in my face, but it was definitely his fingers, caressing my chin and not only that. When I peeked curiously out from my eyelids, he lifted his chin to look straight into my eyes and in that moment, I was lost.

The man's eyes were bright, red though they hid a hint of darkness inside of them. It was a stretch since it was super hard to see in such a dark room, but I could've sworn that I saw white strands of hair fall from underneath his hood and of course, he smile still remained. It was a very familiar look, but I couldn't put my finger on it. _What's this man's name? I know I've seen him from somewhere! Awww, what is it!?_

My expression relaxed as I tried to piece the picture together, and I looked away at him, but when I did, his fingers lifted my chin back up to look him in the eyes and there, they looked sadistic almost as he watched my fear and confusion overcome me. Then, it happened… He spoke for the first time this whole time we've been standing here. I jumped as the words escaped his lips, for I wasn't expecting him to speak at all, seeing as he was such a mysterious person, but when they did, it all seemed to start coming back to me.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A beautiful lady all dressed up, just for me? You shouldn't have, dollface," he whispered in a charming, deep voice. At was all so familiar; the way he looked, the way he looked, the way he talked, the way he seemed so pretentious and laid back. In that moment, I thought back to what Liz was telling me earlier on today and that's when it finally hit me. I gathered up the courage to finally say something to the intruder, but when it did, it sounded as confident and as sure as it could possibly sound.

"Soul," I whispered gently.

 **A/N:** **And that conclude Chapter 1 of 'Mama, I'm In Love With A Criminal'! Now for all of you Soul x Maka: Burlesque lovers out there, I haven't forgotten you and no, the series is not over yet, but I will be concluding it very shortly, so please bear with me until then! I will also be working on this new series as well from time to time so please be sure to follow up on it! Chapter 2 is coming out sooner than you think so stay tuned! (; I will see you guys VERY soon so stay beautiful and happy reading my wonderful viewers! Don't forget to R &R! (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **So here we are, chapter two of Mama, I'm in love with a criminal! I'll cut the intro short, so let's get into disclaimers so we can keep it pushing! (: DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! There ya' go! Happy reading, my friends! (:**

 _CHAPTER 2:_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

"Soul," I whispered gently. The man's eyes snapped open wide with the grin disappearing almost immediately. He obviously wasn't expecting me to know who he was, but when I said his name, it all came to me. _This is Soul 'Eater' Evans… that's the only person he can be… there's no one else he could be, but… why is he here? Why is he in my apartment and what does he want with me? Last time I checked, he used to pick on me and call me 'Tiny tits' or 'bookworm' or something demeaning like that! I hated it more than anything! I hated HIM more than anything!_ Yes, all the memories were slowly coming together when I heard his voice. All the memories of how he used to embarrass me in front of the whole class, how he used to ignore me and only acknowledge me when it suited him, how he used to flirt with me as a joke… I hated Soul 'Eater' Evans and I don't see any reason why I shouldn't!

Soul's sly grin and lazy eyes returned, his gun never leaving my face as he stared into my eyes. "So you know me, huh? Can't say the same for you, baby," he teased. He tried touching my chin again, but I whipped my face away from him with a mean scowl, disgusted by the nickname that he addressed me with. Soul cocked an eyebrow and paused for a minute, but then he forcefully took my chin into his hands, getting closer to my face this time, now wearing a bored, almost uninterested look on his face. My cheeks began to burn up from him sitting so closely to me, but I couldn't fight him, so I just scowled back at him.

"Listen, I don't want to hurt you. Killing people's not cool and killing a woman is even worse, so if you're quiet and you cooperate, we both stay safe, got it?" he propositioned. I scoffed at him.

"Go to hell, Eater. You're nothing to me, why should I care what happens to you?" I spat. Soul seemed a little taken aback when I used his nickname, but when he realized what just happened, he scowled back at me this time and placed the gun on my forehead, getting even closer to my face this time. At this point, he's pushing me up against the window and holding my arm tightly as if to not let me escape.

"What the-! How the hell do you know who I am? I don't like people who I don't know to know me, so spit it out! Where did you get that name?" he demanded to know. His fluster made me feel like I had one over on him, so I decided to tease him a little bit. I smiled up at him with a cocky look in my eyes and I leaned in close to him, our lips almost touching from such a close proximity. Now it was his turn to blush and pull the gun back to his side, now pointed at my stomach.

"I'm not surprised you don't remember me. I'll be honest, I wouldn't have remembered you if it hadn't been for Liz and the others. In fact, I'm the last person you should remember. 'Tiny tits', 'bookworm', 'teacher's pet'," I reminded him of all his little nicknames that he used to give me and he gradually began to remember it all himself just as I had. When he finally pieced it together, he seemed a little off, like he didn't really believe his own suspicions, but he was damn right. I let him know that he's got the right idea by cocking my eyebrow up at him and smiling slyly at him as he did to me.

"Maka Albarn?" he whispered as if unsure of his conclusion, but I only pulled his ear closer to my lips, almost grazing them slightly as he was taken off guard completely.

"Bingo. It's funny, really. All those horrible names you used to call me, yet here you are calling me, 'baby', 'dollface', and 'beautiful'," I giggled into his ear. He looked into my eyes once again to see if I was really telling the truth, but there were no lies here. Not unless he was tellin' 'em. He then retreated further back, releasing me and lowering his gun. It was silent for a minute as he eyed me up and down. His gaze brought the heat back up to my cheeks and I turned away from his for a minute to compose myself, but curiosity got the best of me as well.

I walked up to Soul, boldly and he jumped at my sudden movement, holding his gun back up to me. I gently took hold of his hood and pulled his hood down to see his crazy, messy white hair underneath. That's when my thoughts were confirmed. _This was the one and only Soul Evans. I'd know this look anywhere… Huh, isn't that funny? The night of the reunion and I get to see the one guy who no one expected to see._ When Soul realized that he wasn't in danger, he lowered his gun again and just looked away from me, seeming a bit guilty. I crossed my arms over my chest and chuckled a little, causing him to look back up at me.

"What's so funny?" he asked. I shook my head and looked to the floor.

"It's just… Tonight was the night of our high school reunion. I don't know if you got the memo or anything, but yeah, I just came from it," I informed. Soul shook his head.

"Nah, I didn't. That's to be expected though," he said, shrugging his shoulders at it. He looked quite bored talking about the reunion, but the conversation brought back to conversation from before that I was having at the café with the girls.

 _They were talking about how he disappeared and never came back to school. I guess I could ask him what happened, but I doubt he'd tell me. This isn't the time to be bringing it up anyway!_

I glared back at Soul and asked him, "Why the hell are you here right now? What do you want from me?" It was demanding, but he did just break into my apartment. I wasn't just going to let it go because I was curious. Soul shrugged his shoulders and sat on my couch without even asking. He slouched down, much like Black*Star would do and he started.

"Look, I'm kinda on the run right now. Don't ask why and you'll be safe, but long story short, I need a place to hide out for the night or at least for a few hours," he explained. When he said he was on the run, it reminded me of the guy from earlier who was dressed in all black and running from that cop. Now that I look at Soul, he actually looks exactly like the guy from earlier. _Jeez, he's been causing me trouble all day, hasn't he?_ I shook my head and snapped myself back into the conversation.

"What do you think this is?! You think I'm just gonna let you into my home after all you've done? No way!" I stood my ground. Soul stood up from the couch and walked over to me until he stood right in front of me. He was still extremely close, but I couldn't tell if he meant to be or not.

"Maka, I know I haven't been the greatest guy ever, but I really need this right now. I'll find a way to make it up to you, okay? Just let me lay low for a little while and I'll be out of your hair for good, alright?" he asked, his eyes begging me. I wanted to stand my ground, but he really seemed desperate. What could he have done to be wanted by the police? He's not a… criminal, is he?

"Soul… What did you do? Why are you wanted by the police? If you murdered someone-," I started, but he cut me off.

"I already told you when I came in, killing people's not cool. I may not be the best guy out there, but I'm not murderer," he assured.

"Then what is it? What did you do?" I asked. Soul slumped his shoulders and looked down to the ground, while heaving a sigh.

"I was framed, but that's beside the point! Are you gonna let me crash here, or are you gonna leave me out to die? Those police aren't above killing a man like me. If you let me go, that'll be the end of it," he said, now sounding like he's pleading with me. My strong hold was slowly dissipating, but I had to get a grip.

"Why should I care about what happens to you?" I almost whispered as I asked.

"Because I saved your life once and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, Maka," he said, seriously looking at me with these distant eyes with a dead serious expression to back it up. This certainly caught my attention and my eyes snapped open wide as my breath hitched in my throat. I vaguely remembered something along those lines, but not enough to know what he was talking about. I nodded my head slowly, believing that somewhere deep inside me, he was telling truth, though this was a stretch. I had no idea what he meant by 'I saved your life once', but by that look in his eyes, I could definitely see that he was telling the truth about whatever he was talking about… so I hoped. I hoped that my instinct was correct.

Soul's expression lightened up a little and he sighed in relief and smiled up at me. I rolled my eyes and smirked back at him, still a little uneasy about before when he broke into my home. "Hey, Maka?" Soul said out of the blue. I turned to him and bobbed my head up, urging him to speak up.

"You know, you do look pretty hot in that getup though," he winked. I rolled my eyes, uncrossed my arms and walked over to the kitchen saying, "Shut up."

* * *

I handed Soul a mug of tea and took a seat on the other side of the couch, sipping my own tea when he whispered a mere, 'thanks'. We were silent for a little while as I stared inside the mug, absentmindedly. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it did feel a little off to be sitting in the same room as someone that I hadn't seen in 7 years after all the bullying and stuff. I felt Soul look at me from the corner of his eye, but then he sighed, catching my attention.

"Maka, I'm sorry about all this, alright? And for what I did to you in class back then. I'm older now, so I know when to admit that I'm wrong, but back then, it really wasn't anything against you. It's not like I hated you or anything," he explained. I felt a little bit of closure listening to him apologize after all this time and deep down inside, I knew. I knew that he never hated me and I knew that it was nothing personal; I just wanted to hear him say it, I guess.

"It's alright, I get it. Holding a grudge against someone I barely remember seems a bit pointless anyway," I said, sipping more of my tea. Soul sweat dropped and pouted at my response.

"Well, that's not very nice! You don't remember me? I remember plenty about you!" he whined. I laughed a little and smiled genuinely up at him.

"Oh really? Like what?"

"Well, I remember how you used to wear your hair in pigtails all the time."

"That doesn't count."

"Well, I also remember how you used to answer all the questions the teacher asked."

"Easy."

"I remember how you used to balance a pencil on your upper lip like a goof when you got bored."

"So did you!"

"I remember how you used to stare lovingly at me from time to time."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"…"

I have to admit, it is true that I used to look at him every now and then, but the part about gazing at him lovingly is a total lie! I hated the guy's guts back then for making my life a living hell! I only looked at him because he was always staring off into space. He was either glaring out of the window or staring at his desk with a distant look in his eyes; it was always so intriguing and I wondered what went on in that big head of his.

"Not fighting back?" Soul chuckled, breaking me out of my thoughts. I shook my head and sipped more of my tea, causing him to laugh even more.

"It's not that! You wish I'd gaze lovingly at you! Oh please!" I said, furrowing my brow and crinkling my nose in disgust. Soul shrugged his shoulders and sipped more of his tea. We stayed silent for a little while, but then I figured that maybe if we talked about it more, then maybe my memories would come back. It was still a little foggy when it came to Soul since it was such a long time ago, but I'm sure that all the memories would begin to flow like a waterfall once we got to talking.

"I remember how you used to flirt with every girl just for the fun of it. Not typically because you liked them, but it was more for their entertainment," I said, smiling down into my cup, remembering all those times where he made the girls that used to love teasing me cry and how happy it made me feel to see the tables turned on them.

"Ha, yeah, I was always messin' with someone's heart one way or the other. Not exactly something to be proud about, but looks like it certainly made you happy over there," he said, watching me smile, slightly confused.

"It's just… It made me happy seeing that bitch, Angelica crying after all she did to me. I remember you made her cry right in front of the whole class!" I said, laughing at the thought of her tears and snot running down her face like a child.

"Yeah, now that I think about it, you were laughing harder than anyone when she ran to the girls bathroom with her stupid posse running to her rescue," he recalled. That made me laugh even harder as I nodded my head.

"Hey, you know what I found out about them tonight? Angelica slept with both their husbands, had a kid with one of 'em and is now pregnant with the other! She didn't even show her face at the reunion. Probably too scared to face the hate from her old classmates," I informed. Soul shook his head and tsked at her.

"I never knew she'd stoop that low. Kinda glad that I wasn't actually serious about liking her. I mean, yeah, she was hot and she had a nice body, but she was nothin' special, personality-wise," he said, thinking back on it. This was good. Talking with him about the past, I mean. Remembering all the things that used to make us laugh, the things that used to make us cry… This was good. It meant that we were learning about each other; though I'll be the first to admit that it wasn't really my intention to learn all this information about him and what he liked and disliked, but it was better to know. I don't think I would've been able to trust him so easily had we not talked that night.

The whole night on, we talked about the past like I did with the others at the reunion and the whole time, I thought to myself how I would've never pictured this moment in a billion years. Never would I ever have thought that I'd be sitting here, drinking tea with a man I used to hate, letting bygones be bygones. Never would I ever have thought that I'd be so forgiving towards him like this. The whole time, I thought, _now this is a real reunion._

 **A/N:** **And there you have it, folks! So I hope that this second chapter gives you a bit of an idea of what this fanfic is really going to be about! Again, for all you SoMa: Burlesque lovers out there, I am currently working on the next chapter, but not only that, I will also be working on this new series from time to time while I finish up my Burlesque series. If you haven't already checked it out, I suggest that you do if you like the movie Burlesque and obviously, if you love SoMa! You won't be disappointed! Anyways, I'll try to crank out one more chapter for Mama, I'm in love with a criminal either tonight or tomorrow afternoon so that I can let you guys get a taste of what's to come! (: I will see you guys soon so stay beautiful and happy reading! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I** **'M BACK EVERYONE! :D I'm sorry for the HUGE delay. I ran into an issue with my Microsoft Word documents because I had to renew my subscription, but it's all taken care of now! Consider this chapter your SUPER late Christmas present (: Wow, I checked my fanfiction story's progression and we're doin' GREAT! I only cranked out two chapters and you guys already seem HOOKED! Well let's see how you feel after these next few chapters that I have in story for ya' (; You're gonna love it! Anyway, let's get on with your present, but first, DISCLAIMERS! I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! Alright, there ya' have it! R &R (:**

 _CHAPTER THREE:_

 _"C'mon, girly? Don't you wanna hang with a real man?" A shady-looking man holding up a switchblade inched closer to a younger, frailer Maka as he backed her up into an alley wall. The sun was beginning to set and no pedestrians were seen walking around the area. The only ones around were Maka, the much older and dangerous man standing only inches away from her, balancing his trusty switchblade between his index and middle finger and his two, equally dangerous, middle aged looking men who served as his back up… at least, so she thought._

 _"P-Please, just leave me alone!" she pleaded, to no avail. The man before her roughly knocked her into the brick wall behind her and pushed his forearm against her collarbone, lightly flirting his now opened switchblade against her neck. A sadistic grin etched on the assaulter's face._

 _"Get the car ready. This bitch is gonna keep us company all night," he instructed his friends, cackling at the thought of what he's gonna make the poor high schooler do for him. Maka, losing all hope in help ever coming to rescue her, she snapped her eyes shut, weeping silently and calling out for help in her thoughts._

 _'Somebody, please… Please help me!' her thoughts cried out in agony._

 _"If you know what's good for you, you'd better get your hands off of her right now!" Maka heard an unknown voice command. She dared to believe that this unknown voice belonged to her savior, but she didn't dare open her eyes for a single second to confirm this notion. Instead, she fainted out of relief and distress._

 _'Who was that guy? Did he really save me? What even happened after that?' she thought_

 _"I'll never let anyone ever put their hands on you like that again. I'll always protect you…" a voice echoed in her dreams… Then… she woke up._

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

The next morning, I woke up in my bed, wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt and my pair of panties from last night. I sat up, scratching my head with a slight pain, making me wince. _Oh yeah, I forgot I drank a little last night. Guess it doesn't hurt too bad though._ I got out from underneath my warm comforter and slipped on a pair of slippers to walk around on the cold, hardwood floor.

 _That was a weird dream… I hadn't had that dream in a while; not since I was still a teenager. I wonder why it suddenly came back to me out of nowhere. Come to think of it, ever since last night, all these long lost memories have started to come back to me like crazy. It could just be because of the reunion last night; or maybe even because_ he _showed up again. I wonder if he's still here._

I walked out into my living room, only to see the white-haired, red-eyed bully from seven years ago splayed out on the couch, sleeping with his mouth wide open and a small trail of drool hanging from the side of his mouth. I laughed a little to see him in such a goofy state, but he was sleeping peacefully and I didn't want to be rude. _Wait, why do I even care? He's just some punk who's wanted by the police. He means nothing to me._

All of a sudden, I heard a loud knock on the door that woke Soul up and made him fall off the couch at the sudden burst of noise. A voice from the other side of it announced their presence.

 _"This is the police. I need to ask you some questions about the area, if that's alright,"_ they called. Soul tried falling back asleep on the couch since he was still half asleep, but before he fell asleep, I had to get him out of there! If they found out that Soul was here, we would both get into some serious trouble!

I ran over to Soul and helped him up whispering desperately for him to go into my bedroom and sleep there. He started loudly mumbling 'mhmm', but I had to shush him as I quickly ushered him into my bedroom. After a long battle of trying to get him to move, I managed to throw him on my bed. He tried to rise back up sleepily and he started mumbling a bunch of nonsense, but I hurriedly tucked him into my bed and shushed him.

"I'll come back for you, just stay quiet until I come back," I instructed, closing the door behind me and running to answer the door for the police. When I opened the door, I felt a bit flustered from running around so I was breathing fairly heavily when I greeted them.

"Hello, officer! How may I help you today?" I asked sweetly. The officer's face shone a bright red as his eyes popped out of his head. he turned away from me bashfully. I didn't understand why, but then I looked down at myself and realized that the bottom of my t-shirt was pulled up, showing my pink, laced panties. I quickly pulled the bottom of the shirt down and fixed myself, blushing fiercely.

"U-Ummm, I just have t-to ask you a couple of questions about a man who was last seen lurking in this area. M-May, I come in?" he asked. I hesitated for a minute, worried that if Soul were to make even the slightest bit of a sound, the cop might grow suspicious. In the end, it would've looked even more suspicious if I didn't let the cop in so I stepped aside to let him in. He walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch. I followed him and sat next to him.

"What are your questions, officers?" I asked. He moved a bit to face me and started his questions as I listened closely to hear for Soul in the other room to make sure that he's not making too much noise.

"Have you seen anything suspicious going on around this area, lately? Perhaps a shady-looking person or any unusual activities taking place in the area?" he asked. I wasn't expecting him to be so up front about the questions he was asking, but he seemed like he was getting straight to the point.

"No, I haven't. Everything has seemed pretty peaceful around here for me," I answered half-honestly. The cop nodded and pulled a picture out to show it to me.

"Well, have you seen this man running around the area lately? According to the description, he's got white, shaggy hair, red eyes, tanned skin," he asked. The picture he showed me looked exactly like Soul! It even had this droopy eyed look to it that he has always had since we were in high school and he's got that lazy look that made him look like he couldn't be bothered with anything. Wow, they must've really wanted to catch him.

"No I haven't sir, has he done something wrong? Is he missing?" I asked, making it seem like I was frightened so that he'd answer my questions without getting suspicious of me.

"Calm down, ma'am. This man's name is Soul Evans. He's a 23 year old male and he's wanted for robbery, assault and battery, breaking and entering and sexual offense," he explained clearly. That last part seemed like a joke to me. I knew Soul for seven years and he's never really had too much interest in sex like other men did. I couldn't possibly imagine him ever trying to make a woman doing something she didn't want to do just for his own personal desires. When he said those last few words, I knew that what Soul was saying about a 'setup' couldn't be completely false.

"Oh my. Are you sure he's somewhere in this area, officer?" I asked, still pretending to be frightened. The officer sighed and put the picture away, getting up from his seat next to me.

"No, ma'am, we're not. There is a possibility that he could've made his way out of the city once again, but we're only checking to be certain before we make any other decisions. That's all the questions I have for you-." The officer was interrupted by a voice that came from my bedroom.

 _"Makaaaa, where'd you go?"_ Soul said, sounding like a drunken mess, though he hasn't touched an ounce of the stuff. Must've been drunk off of sleep, but whatever! He was gonna be found out! I was freaking out on the inside, but when the officer looked at me, I pretended to be embarrassed.

"Who was that, miss?" the cop asked, cocking an eyebrow at me. I quickly had to come up with a lie, but the first thing that popped into my head was the only thing that popped into my head, so I went with it.

"That was my boyfriend. He's caught a cold and he can get a little needy when he's under the weather," I explained. It seemed believable, I guess… I mean, the officer seemed to buy it. He nodded his head and walked towards the door to let himself out.

"Well then, I won't be keeping you then. Have a nice day, miss Maka," the officer bid his farewell. I smiled and waved after him until he shut the door. I walked over to it and locked it behind him only to turn back to my bedroom door with a glare.

I marched over to the bedroom and saw Soul still half asleep as he got tangled in my comforter. I stomped over to him, ready to yell at him for speaking when I told him not to, but before I could get anything out, he tugged onto my arm, making me fall onto the bed with him. He then wrapped his muscular arms around my small body and held me close as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck.

"Ahhh! What are you doing, Soul?!" I yelped in surprise. My cheeks began to heat up a lot the more his breath tickled the back of my neck.

"Mmmm…" he hummed as he got comfortable. My toes curled at the tickling sensation, but he wouldn't stop cuddling me! I couldn't fight him no matter how much I wanted to fight him, so I just waited for him to release me, hoping that it would be soon.

"Maka, I'm sorry about all this. I'd hate to drag you into this… when you want nothing to do with me to begin with. I'll protect you, though… I'll protect-," he said before he drifted back into his slumber. I tried to wiggle out of his arms and it eventually worked. But even when I did, I couldn't stop looking over him while he slept. I couldn't believe my ears when he said that to me. What did he even know about my feelings towards him? Hell, I didn't even know them myself! Of course, I want to hate him, but… what's the point?

What's the point of hating someone you know nothing about? I know he never hated me and I know that there were no hard feelings behind the bullying… Besides, he wasn't always like this.

Like Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, Black*Star and Kid, I knew Soul since middle school as well. He kept his distance from people and he was easily forgotten since he never really spoke, but that's because he didn't know anyone back then. He moved to Death City when he was 13, I know that much. He came to our school for the first time, but when he did, it was almost like he didn't want to talk to anyone because he felt he was too cool for the rest of us; like he was on a different level than the rest of us. So he kept his distance and he never really let anyone in. I had noticed that when people got too close, he'd push them away and pretend like their existence was just that of another one's and that it had no real meaning to him. That was just the way of the 'Soul Eater'. He was content with isolating himself; we were content with letting him be by himself, but that wasn't how it was to begin with.

There was a short time where I actually wanted to be the one he could talk to. I wanted to be that special one that could bring him out of his shell. I wanted to be that girl who could tame the beast and let him open up to others; then maybe he'd actually seem happier than he did. I've tried. I've tried to talk to him, share my lunch with him, walk him home, and defend him in front of others; but it was never any good. It was all the same with him. Some days were better than others. Some days he'd reject my kindness by cursing at me and telling me to stop acting like he's a pathetic brat; some days, he'd reject my kindness by pleading with me to leave him be since he'd only end up disappointing me in the end. Eventually I gave up trying to help him. You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved. Like I said, he was content. All I could do was sit and wait until he came to me.

High school came along and things got a little better for him. He talked to a group of guys here and then, but as for me, he left me like I was some stranger that he had never crossed paths with before. Most of the time, he still stuck to the ways of a loner and kept his distance from everyone else, but he did manage to leave his impression on people; especially when he was breaking the girls' hearts. He made people laugh, he made people cry, but most of all, he let people know that he still had some spirit left in him.

That spirit was what gave me the courage to try and be civil with him and try to get back on his good side, but to my surprise, instead of accepting my kindness, he rejected it worse than he ever did before. He'd ridicule me in front of the class, he'd push me out of his way, he'd tease me to no end and call me horrible names… there was no more begging for me to leave him to himself this time. No, this time, he was forcing me to stay away from him… and believe me… it definitely worked.

As I sat there, watching him sleep next to me, peacefully, thinking all these things from the past, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty; like it wasn't his fault that he treated me so coldly. It had to have been mine for not heeding his lectures and warnings. Maybe… in reality… it was me who had pushed him to become the bully that I once hated… Maybe… in reality… I was the one who wasn't considering the others' feelings. Don't get me wrong, he's responsible for his own actions and the way he handles things, but maybe, just maybe if I had just left him alone when he told me to, then maybe he wouldn't have been so cruel in order to force my out of his life. When I thought that in my head, I pulled Soul closer and placed his head over my heart so he could feel the sincerity in what I was about to say.

"No, Soul. I'm the one who's sorry," I whispered. "If I hadn't been such a stuck-up, selfish brat then you probably wouldn't have had to force yourself to be so cold towards me. I should've listened-." Before I could finish, Soul pulled away a bit to face me with a lazy half grin and half-lidded eyes.

"It's alright, Maka. Everything's fine now. Don't go feeling guilty now, got it?" he asked. I nodded my head and he whispered, 'good' before he released me and turned his back on me to fall back asleep. I crawled out of bed, my face as red as a tomato after realizing what the hell just happened and I ran out to the kitchen to make breakfast.

* * *

"Done," I said, placing the last pancake on the plate on the countertop, before walking out of the kitchen. I walked back into the bedroom and Soul was still dead asleep, splayed out on the bed once again. I chuckled as I walked around to the closet.

"You must've had a really rough day yesterday for you to still be sleeping at 11am," I spoke louder than necessary to wake him up. I heard him moving in the bed slowly, groaning as he sat up.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. How are you not tired? And hey, don't you have work today?" he asked, groggily. I shook my head and continued to look for an outfit for the day.

"Nope, today's Saturday. Besides, we went to sleep at 4am, do you really think I'd do a good job in the office if I were to go in today? No," I said. I heard Soul move from out of the bed and crack his back.

"Whatever you say, princess," he yawned. I laughed as I picked out a pair of short jean shorts and a loose fitted, white button-up shirt. When I closed the sliding mirror closet doors, Soul came up behind me and wrapped an arm around me, looking at my blushing face through the mirror.

"What are you doing?! I need to go take a shower; let go!" I tried to escape his arms, but he only pulled me closer to his chest.

"But you're so warm. Do I have to?" he asked, pouting. I started prying his arms off of me one by one and escaped him eventually.

"Yes. Breakfast is on the counter so go grab a plate while I go freshen up," I said, grabbing my pink towel off the back of my door and walking off to the bathroom, making sure to lock the bathroom door behind me.

* * *

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

Maka slammed the bathroom door behind her, locking the door and I chuckled at how dramatic she was when she left for her shower. _Some things just never change…_ I walked out to the kitchen to grab a plate and saw a whole bunch of good food laid out, untouched. _Leave it up to Maka to think about everyone, but herself. Seriously, she hasn't changed a bit, personality-wise. Now on the other hand…_ I shook my head clean of thoughts of Maka. It wouldn't be right for me to think about her like that after all that's happened. I wouldn't want her to get the wrong idea… _Still… I gotta hand it to the girl; she certainly did mature in more ways the one._

I grabbed a plateful of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes and took a seat at the kitchen table. I devoured the food before Maka could even finish her shower. I wasn't plannin' on stickin' around for too much longer. Hell, Maka wasn't even supposed to get involved in this any further than she already has. Letting my stay drag out any further would be nothing but troublesome for the both of us.

 _But why did she let me stay in the first place? She never cared for me, even back then. Why would she go out of her way like that?_ True, back then, Maka was a little persistent thing who always felt the need to comfort me with her presence. I'll admit that at first, I thought she was a sweet little thing, trying to get me to step out of my little circle and all, but even back then she couldn't tell when she should've stayed out of someone's business. That's the reason why I pushed her away. There was no reason to get anyone else involved in me and my family's business. At the time, I was an up-coming pianist who had no time for anything but his line of work. I was taught to ignore those who couldn't offer anything to our family name, so I guess it was only natural that I'd push someone like Maka away. Don't get me wrong, I felt horrible about it, but what can you do?

I chuckled quietly to myself, reminiscing on our middle school days. I always liked how nice Maka could be, but unfortunately, she's really naïve. That makes me worry about her. If she was so forgiving towards me; a criminal in her eyes, then I'd be worried about what would've happened if it hadn't been me and it had been someone else. What if she was this hospitable to some other freakshow that showed up at her house, uninvited? She'd be as good as dead! She's lucky that it was only me and vice versa. I'm lucky that it was only her. I didn't know what I was thinking when I climbed up inside the apartment, but had it been someone else, I might've had to kill someone so that they wouldn't talk. Like I said before, that's not my style.

Maaaaaaaan, I've gotten myself into quite a mess now, haven't I? I should've just came clean when I had the chance to, but now, there's no turning back. _Goddamnit, it's been one thing after another with these people! Damn, how am I gonna explain this to Maka?_ Right when I thought that, the shower was turned off and the curtains to the shower were opened. _Guess I'd better figure it out soon. For now, -._

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

Steam emerged from the bathroom as I stepped out and into the hallway, fully clothed, mind you. I was dressed in a simple baggy, light pink tie-dyed shirt with my light blue jean shorts.

"Whew, that shower was much needed! Hey, Soul, did you get up and eat already?" I called out, walking into the kitchen to grab a water bottle. Seeing that some of the food (and by some, I mean half of every single damn plate) was gone, I took that as a yes, but no trace of Soul was to be found.

 _Hmm. Maybe he went back into my room to lay down._ I shrugged my shoulders and sipped the water. I walked to my bedroom door that was slightly opened, but when I peeked behind it, nobody was to be found. _Huh? Where could he have gone?_ I went back out into the living room and looked around once more, but all I found was an opened window from which Soul came in the night before.

"You're such a jackass, Eater, you know that?" I scoffed to myself, seeing that the damn freeloader took off without saying anything. I know I should've expected him to leave in the morning, but I didn't think he'd leave without telling me anything. _Hm! And to think I said all that stuff to him earlier about feeling guilty for not considering his feelings! What a selfish bastard!_

Still, he knows where I live and he knows how to get to me if he needs to. Should he ever need to contact me again, he'll come back. If not, good riddance. Something tells me that we shouldn't really be getting involved with each other too much anyway. Especially after what that cop said. Assault and Battery? Robbery? Sexual Assault? What's up with that?! I sighed.

"Oh well. It's none of my business anyway. I should just move on and pretend that this never happened… That is, if I can."

 **A/N:** **ALRIGHTY THEN! That was Mama, I'm In Love With a Criminal Chapter 3! I got my Microsoft Word to start working again, so I'll be able to post a lot more chapters. I have been writing all my ideas down in a little book so that when I got my Word documents to start working again, I could get right on it. I'm up to Chapter 6 in my little book so I should be crankin' these babies out LIKE A BOSS! I hope you all have a great New Year's Eve so live it up and enjoy it! LET'S GO INTO 2016 WITH A BANG! :D I will see you all very soon so stay updated, live happy lives and stay beautiful! BE SAFE! (: ;D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** **HAPPY NEW YEAR, OTAKUS! Finally, 2016! GRADUATION YEAR FOR LAURNEA! WHOOP WHOOP! :D Let's hope this year is gonna be just awesome as last year! As a new year's present, I updated a nice long chapter for you guys so enjoy Chapter Four of Mama, I'm In Love With A Criminal (: A lot of stuff is going on in this chapter so make sure you pay attention! :D I have two other chapters ready and raring to go, but first, I have to type them up, so I'll try to get that done super quick so we can all enjoy them over the last few days of Christmas we have. Before I type chapter five, I have to do some application entries for college ); WAAAHH! I don't wanna ),: But it's necessary, so might as well get it over with. PLEASE R &R and ENJOY! DISCLAIMERS: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER OR ANY OF THE LOVELY SONGS CONTAINED WITHIN THIS CHAPTER! Happy reading :D ;***

 _CHAPTER FOUR:_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

Late at night, the same day Soul left without saying goodbye (I'm still mad about that, mind you! I mean WHO DOES THAT?! Anyway…), I mindlessly walked around my dark apartment. You know those moments when you're on the phone with someone and you just _have_ to move around just because? Yeah, this was one of those moments. I was three-waying with Tsubaki, Liz and Patty. We had been talking for about three or four hours now, but we all had days off and didn't feel like going anywhere, so this is how we passed time.

"Yeah, so where did you run off to exactly last night, Maka? Tsubaki told us you ditched and never called to check in," Liz asked randomly. Tsu called first, worried and screaming in my ear about me not calling her like I said I would. I explained to her that I just forgot and went to bed as my excuse, but I didn't tell that to Liz or Patty.

"Uh, haha, yeah y'see, I wasn't really feeling the party so I left early. Guess I just forgot about calling," I nervously explained. I quietly sighed in relief when Patty pitched in, taking their minds completely off of the topic.

"Alright sis! I'm heading to Crona's place!" she beamed from the background of Liz's line.

"Just be careful out there. All those sirens are putting me on edge," she warned. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"Hm? What sirens?" I asked. I heard nothing at all from outside. I heard a couple sirens here and there, but not enough to call it abnormal. Though, granted, I do live on the quieter side of the city. I prefer it that way.

"What? You really haven't noticed?" Tsubaki chimed in, sounding very surprised.

"Noticed what?"

"The police have been rampaging through the city like a damn pack of dogs since this afternoon. Seems like they've got a target on the loose or somethin'," Liz explained. Again, I heard nothing. I swear, if there was a bomb dropped on Death City, I probably would've been the last to find out. I don't follow the news, I don't read the newspaper (ironically enough since I work at a newspaper publishing company)… I only really read the newspapers if I have to do research for one of my articles.

"Yeah, their sirens have been going off like crazy. It's all over the news," Tsubaki said. Again, I don't follow the news…

Out of curiosity, I flipped on my TV and searched for the news channel. When one popped up, words that slid across the screen read, **_POLICE HUNT: 2:38PM THIS AFTERNOON, A CLOTHING SHOP ON 31_** ** _ST_** ** _STREET WAS ROBBED BY WANTED CRIMINAL, SOUL EVANS-._** That was all I needed to see.

"Guys! Did you notice the name?!" I shouted. The girls were probably wincing at my loud voice, but I couldn't contain my shock. To think that a few hours ago, Soul Evans was eating breakfast in my apartment, though I couldn't tell them that… Even I knew that was a bad idea.

"Hmm? Nah, what's it say?" Liz asked, sounded a bit bored.

Just then, as if on cue, I heard something drop near my window. I turned away quickly in a start and saw a dark duffel bag barely stuffed at the floor of my window. There in the light stood a silvery white haired man with glowing red eyes and a devilish sharp grin, climbing through my wide, open window. His features illuminated in the light so brilliantly that it stopped my short of my breath for just a second. I took in the view, not once looking away, whether it was out of shock or out of admiration. I couldn't really tell. A voice over the phone snapped me out of my trance, but even then, I didn't dare look away from the wanted criminal as he slowly walked right up to me, still wearing his smug grin.

"Hello? Maka? What happened?" Tsubaki asked, sounding like a concerned mother.

"S-Sorry guys, I gotta go. I've got company," I said softly hanging up the phone before giving them a proper explanation.

Soul dug his hands in his pockets as he looked down at me with his soul-piercing red eyes.

"Miss me, tiny-tits?" he asked, smugly. _Oh, back again? Ugh! And again with that stupid nickname!_

"Ugh, you're terrible!" I scowled at him and turned my back to him with my arms crossed.

"Aww, c'mon! You're not still mad at me from before are you?" he asked. I could hear the smile he wore still plastered on his face and even wider this time. That only served to make me even more upset. I marched away from him and into the kitchen to put hot water on the stove to make tea.

"What do you think, Soul?" I snapped, still scowling and refusing to face him. I was acting a it childish, I'll admit it, but he was too when he ran off without properly saying goodbye. What jerk does that kind of thing after I took him in?!

"Listen, Maka, I'm sorry for not tellin' you where I was going. I was gonna come right back!" he said, leaning against the fridge, hands still in his pockets.

"Speaking of which, why _are_ you back? What happened to 'one night only'?" I snapped. I didn't mean to make it seem like I didn't want him back. Wait, I didn't! But wait, maybe I did? Ugh! I DON'T FREAKIN' KNOW!

"You've seen the news! I can't go back out there with all those cruisers callin' for me! I'm in need of a hide out," he said. Really, I wouldn't have given a shit if it were any normal day, but today was far from it. Still, I wasn't gonna make things easy for a criminal.

"So you choose MY home? What is this, some kind of criminal daycare?" I spat.

"Aww, c'moooon Makaaaaa, don't be like that. You don't have to worry about me. It's only for tonight, I swear. Just one more night and I'm gone," he persuaded. I had none of it.

Without turning away from the stove, I flipped Soul off and poured the both of us our own cups of tea. That was my way of saying 'Screw you, you bastard! But fine…' Soul caught onto this and smiled when I handed him the cup. We moved our conversation on over to the couch.

"If you want, I can wrap my arms around you and we can cuddle 'till morning," he offered, winking at me playfully. I threw a pillow at him, careful not to hit the cup of tea.

"Ugh! Just drink your goddamn tea, Eater!" I shouted. I scowled and sipped my tea, a slight blush on my face. I'm pretty sure that when I took a slight glance at Soul from the corner of me eye, he was smirking. Probably because he noticed my blush… damn fool.

"So what did you do this time?" I asked, recalling the police hunt. Instead of answering with his words, Soul walked over to where his bag landed and unzipped it. He pulled out of a few bundles of cash and some folded clothes. Looked like enough to last him, but only for a little while.

"Got some clothes and cash to last me the next week. That reminds me, can I borrow your shower?" he asked. I nodded and pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

"First door on your right."

Soul took his clothes and entered the bathroom for his shower. While he was gone, I couldn't help but feel a little weird. _I just allowed a criminal to borrow my shower and stay at my apartment… What the hell. He even stole a wad of cash and clothes, yet I'm pretending like it's no big deal. Well I guess I understand enough to know that he needs them, but that still doesn't make it right. Even so, what else can he do?_

I sympathized for Soul. I have the morals to understand that stealing is wrong, but when you're in a position like his, what can you really do? I recalled that Soul had said that he was 'set up'. He was framed by someone, so he claims. I didn't know if that was the actual truth, but a part of me believed him. Maybe that was just what I _wanted_ to believe, but still. I believed him in a sense. Of course, I couldn't just come right out and ask him. It's probably a touchy topic for him, like it is for most people. Instead, I decided I would do a bit of research for myself.

 _In the meantime, I should get dinner ready._ I arose from the couch and went to fetch a pot of water to boil over the stove. Then, I took a pack of chicken breasts out of the fridge to prepare. I seasoned the chicken breasts, placed them in a pan, covering them with tomato sauce and grated mozzarella cheese. Then, I popped them into the oven when I felt satisfied.

As I was setting the timer, Soul came out of the bathroom, fully clothed and rubbing his shaggy, white hair dry with a towel. I watched as he took a bottled water out of the fridge and roughly rubbed the ends of his hair with his towel.

"Thanks. I feel a lot better after that shower," he thanked. I smiled up at him in response. He took a sip of the water bottle and placed the towel around his neck.

"What's cookin'?" he asked.

"Chicken parmesan. It may take a while though. Want a snack?" I asked hospitably. Even I noticed it was a quick 180 from my bitchy attitude from early. Though, I couldn't tell you why that was. Anyway, Soul reached behind me and into the fruit bowl on the counter, taking an apple.

"This'll do," he said, taking a bite into the apple. Both of us plopped down on the couch in a comfortable silence. We sat on opposite sides of the couch, him sitting back on the couch and propping himself up on his forearm, me laying on my back and staring up at the ceiling. As I laid there, I was reminded of my favorite band. I'm not really sure why, but something about this relaxing atmosphere triggered the same emotions that I feel when I listen to their songs. Craving the feeling of aloofness, I sat up and turned on my stereo next to my window. The first song that came on was an old rock song that I used to be obsessed with, but I fast-forwarded it to find my favorite song.

"You listen to rock, Maka?" Soul asked, hearing the first song.

"Yeah, do you?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"I listen to it every now and then when I can. What's your favorite song?" he asked.

"I'm actually lookin' for it now… Ah! Here it is!" I cheered in triumph. I turned the stereo up all the way and sat criss-crossed in front of Soul on the couch. He followed in suit and the music blared through my speakers.

 _GET SCARED – THE BLACKOUT_

 _It's cold, so why aren't the embers falling from the stars?_

 _I can see your face, so why aren't you with me in my arms?_

 _I'm becoming numb, I can barely hold up my own hand._

 _But I can still feel you here, while the world begins to fall apart._

 _While the world begins to fall._

 _And you'll scream my name up to the sky_

 _as you watch the tide come wash away the night,_

 _and you'll scream my name up to the sky_

 _as you watch the tide come wash away the night,_

 _and well make our way out of this mess._

Soul bobbed his head to the beat of the music along with me as we stared dead in each other's eyes. He lifted his eyebrows in surprised and nodded his head.

"Gotta say, you've got some good taste in music," he complimented. I laughed a little.

"Thanks." We listened on and continued to lose ourselves in the song like I once did when I first listened to the beat. A blissful high.

 _My pulse slows, as my eyes begin to close._

 _Theres a fire inside this beating heart_

 _but it only beats for you._

 _Ashes fill my lungs, can't you taste them on your tongue._

 _Watch the light wash away._

 _I'll be holding on and its all for love._

 _And you'll scream my name up to the sky_

 _as you watch the tide come wash away the night,_

 _and you'll scream my name up to the sky_

 _as you watch the tide come wash away the night,_

 _and well make our way out of this mess._

 _And you'll scream my name up to the sky_

 _as you watch the tide come wash away the night,_

 _and you'll scream my name up to the sky_

 _as you watch the tide come wash away the night,_

 _and well make our way out of this mess._

 _While the world begins to fall._

When the song ended, we could clearly hear the sirens that Liz and Tsubaki were talking about over the phone. Soul came down from his high and shut the window, leaving it open only just a little. I frowned.

"Y'know Soul… You won't be able to hide forever," I noted. Soul frowned.

"I don't plan to. Someday, I'm gonna find a way to leave this place. I won't have to run anymore, where I'm goin'," he said. He took another bite of his apple and began to stare off into space.

"What do you mean?" I asked, watching his daze. He only shook his head. He said nothing else on the subject and all I could do was respect that. He always says that he can't tell me certain details because he wants to keep me safe, but I know better than that. He doesn't tell me so he can protect himself as well. It's so he can reassure himself that nobody can double-cross him. If he were ever to disappear, no one would know how or where to find him. Maybe what he says is partially true, but I know him…

I got up from the couch and put the spaghetti in the boiling water. I checked on the chicken in the oven. _Still not even close to being done._ I sigh out of aggravation and plopped back down on my side of the couch, one leg bent, the other one stretched out as I laid on my back. I looked over at Soul and he seemed to be deep in thought about something.

"What's on your mind?" I asked. He grinned up at me again like he was planning something devious. It kinda threw me off, but whatever…

"Just thinking of this girl," he stated. _Oh. Probably shouldn't have asked then… This is awkward._

"O-Oh, really?" I stuttered. I kind of regretted that I asked. He never really talks about girls and I rarely talk about guys so I don't really know how to act when the topic is brought up.

"Yeah. It was a girl I saved a few years back. Had a dream about her last night for the first time in what seems like forever," he explained. _Come to think of it… So did I… Hey! Now that he says that, he did say something last night, didn't he? Something about 'saving' me? Could it be a coincidence?_ Soul smiled at me knowingly. I would've felt like an idiot if I asked him and it wasn't really him, so I just assumed it realy was just a coincidence. Besides, when I was saved, I remember it being like 2 or 3 months after Soul disappeared completely. It couldn't have been him… could it? Soul said nothing else on the subject.

"So who did you hang up on when I came in? A boyfriend?" Soul asked, changing the topic. I felt my cheeks heating up and I shook my head in response.

"Wha-?! No! That was just Liz, Patty and Tsubaki! I haven't had a boyfriend since my senior year of college! What would I be talking to a guy for?!" I blurted out. My last relationship didn't end very well, so I try not to get too caught up in it all. It's hard to deal with a mistake you knew you could've avoided if you just went with your gut-instinct. That's what it was like for me. I'd be lying if I said I was over it, though. Can't change the past so might as well improve the future by learning from the past instead.

"Oh really now? What kind of sucker are we talkin'?" Soul asked. _Ha, he really wants to know? Alright then, humor him._

"He wasn't a sucker… just a cheating bastard," I whispered loud enough for him to hear.

"Really? Man, that's not cool," he said, sounding a bit empathetic. _Hm?_

"Totally. He cheated on me with some big-breasted bitch that was like four years older than us. How pathetic… that jerk," I trailed off. My boyfriend and I were dating since our junior year of college. He was a football jock and he was pretty good with his grades… but even better with the ladies when I wasn't around. I loved him so much back then... But one night, I came home from my first day at work at the newspaper publishing company and there he was kissing a half-naked purple haired girl four years older than us on our bed. He didn't know I was there, but I saw it… All the way up to the point where they had their last pieces of clothing on. I don't know why I felt the need to stick around, but a part of me was hoping that he'd stop somewhere along the way. 'I can't do this,' he'd say. 'I have a girlfriend,' he'd say… but he never said any of those things. No, he just pretended like he didn't even have a girlfriend. I sat on the ground by the door crying as I heard the unknown girl's moans mixed with the sound of his groans. After that night, I left him and never came back. Only then was when I started to believe that relationships are pointless. You'd only get hurt in the end.

"Don't sweat it Maka," Soul started. "He don't know what he's missin'. I mean look at you now. Good looks, good paying job, you're smart, independent…"

"Don't start sucking up. You're still sleeping on the couch, ya' damn freeloader," I coldly said with a small glare. Soul pouted and hung his head in disappointment.

"Aww man! I still have to sleep on the couch? Man, I really thought that worked too!" he whined childishly. I giggled.

"What about you? Any girls on your list you gotta cross off?" I asked, just for the sake of making a leveled out conversation.

"Yeah. You," he flirted, winking at me. I rolled my eyes and gave him my 'c'mon be serious' expression.

"Alright, I'll talk. There was this one girl that I dated for a little while," he said, scratching the back of his head as he took two more bites of his apple.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She was a wild one. Sexy too, but she got around and we just didn't have it like that so I cut her off," he explained briefly. _I guess he understands then. He was cheated on as well, though he doesn't look like it bothers him too much._

"Oh, that's a shame," I awkwardly tried to empathize. I failed miserably. Soul shrugged his shoulders and took another bite of his apple.

"Nah, not really, but damn she was somethin' else…" he trailed off. She must've been if he was thinking so much about it. I scoffed without really knowing it. I changed the song on the stereo and it changed to a song I hadn't listened to in a while. We fell into a comfortable silence as we let the music do the talking.

 _HALESTORM – HERE'S TO US_

 _We could just go home right now_

 _Or maybe we could stick around_

 _For just one more drink, oh yeah_

 _Get another bottle out_

 _Lets shoot the shit_

 _Sit back down_

 _For just one more drink, oh yeah_

 _Here's to us, here's to love_

 _All the times that we fucked up_

 _Here's to you, fill the glass_

 _'Cause the last few days have kicked my ass_

 _So lets give 'em hell_

 _Wish everybody well, here's to us, here's to us_

 _Stuck it out this far together_

 _Put our dreams through the shredder_

 _Let's toast 'cause things got better_

 _And everything could change like that_

 _And all these years go by so fast_

 _But nothing lasts forever_

 _Here's to us, here's to love_

 _All the times, that we messed up_

 _Here's to you, fill the glass_

 _'Cause the last few nights have kicked my ass_

 _If they give ya hell_

 _Tell em to go fuck themselves, here's to us, here's to us_

 _Here's to all that we kissed_

 _And to all that we missed_

 _To the biggest mistakes_

 _That we just wouldn't trade_

 _To us breaking up_

 _Without us breaking down_

 _To whatever's comin' our way_

 _Here's to us, here's to love_

 _All the times that we fucked up_

 _Here's to you, fill the glass_

 _'Cause the last few days have kicked my ass_

 _So lets give 'em hell_

 _Wish everybody well_

 _Here's to us, here's to love_

 _All the times, that we messed up_

 _Here's to you, fill the glass_

 _'Cause the last few nights have kicked my ass_

 _If they give ya hell_

 _Tell em to go fuck themselves, here's to us, here's to us (Go fuck themselves)_

 _Here's to us, here's to us_

 _Here's to us, here's to us_

 _Here's to us, here's to love_

 _Here's to us, wish everybody well_

 _Here's to us, here's to love_

 _Here's to us, here's to us_

After the song, a timer went off. I rolled off to the couch, unwillingly to check the chicken in the oven and found that getting up wasn't for nothing.

"The food's ready. Come sit down, I'll make your plate," I offered. Soul nodded and threw his apple pit in the trash on the way to the table. I filled his plate with a saucy chicken breast and some al dente spaghetti.

"Here you go," I said, placing the plate in front of him with a knife and fork.

"This looks really good, thanks," he complimented. I giggled as I fixed my own plate. I sat across from him at the table and dug right in, as did he.

"Yeah, it tastes way better. My mama sent me the recipe when I was still living on campus since I had to make everything myself."

"Whoa, your dad must've been pissed when he found out you weren't commuting. Wasn't he that red-headed teacher dude that was always chasing after the school nurse?" he brought up, laughing. I laughed as well, remembering when the nurse planned to call the cops on him for sexual harassment.

"Yeah, he was really upset. Refused to talk to me… for five minutes that is. If I could've I would've lived with my mama, but she's always travelling so living on campus vs. living with my dad? Yeah, campus it is."

"Hmm… How were you as a college kid? Did you go to any parties or were you still the lame bookworm Maka I knew from high school?"

"How rude! I went to parties! I kinda had to since I was Tristan's girlfriend," I defended.

"I'm guessing Tristan is the jock?"

"Yup. May he live a long, shitty life wherever he is," I sighed, shoving another piece of chicken into my mouth.

We kept making small conversation over dinner until we stuffed ourselves completely. In the end, I refrigerated out left overs, cleaned up our messes and returned to our places on the couch. This time, Soul sat next to me and we both lifted our feet over the top of the coffee top, relaxing with our bulged out bellies. The song on the stereo changed to something softer than our other selections.

 _THE SCRIPT – NOTHING_

 _Am I better off dead?_

 _Am I better off a quitter?_

 _They say I'm better off now_

 _Than I ever was with her_

 _As they take me to my local down the street_

 _I'm smiling but I'm dying trying not to drag my feet_

 _They say a few drinks will help me to forget her_

 _But after one too many I know that I'll never_

 _Only they can't see where this is gonna end_

 _They all think I'm crazy but to me it's perfect sense_

 _And my mates are all there trying to calm me down_

 _'Cause I'm shouting your name all over town_

 _I'm swearing if I go there now_

 _I can change her mind, turn it all around_

 _And I know that I'm drunk but I'll say the words_

 _And she'll listen this time even though they're slurred_

 _So I, dialed her number and confessed to her_

 _I'm still in love but all I heard_

 _Was nothing (nothing, nothing, nothing)_

 _So I stumble there, along the railings and the fences_

 _I know if we're face to face then she'll come to her senses_

 _Every drunk step I take leads me to her door_

 _If she sees how much I'm hurting, she'll take me back for sure_

 _And my mates are all there trying to calm me down_

 _'Cause I'm shouting your name all over town_

 _I'm swearing if I go there now_

 _I can change her mind, turn it all around_

 _And I know that I'm drunk but I'll say the words_

 _And she'll listen this time even though they're slurred_

 _So I, dialed her number and confessed to her_

 _I'm still in love but all I heard_

 _Was nothing (nothing, nothing)_

 _She said nothing (nothing, nothing)_

 _Oh, I wanted words but all I heard was nothing_

 _Oh, I got nothing (nothing, nothing)_

 _I got nothing (nothing, nothing)_

 _Oh, I wanted words but all I heard was nothing_

 _Ohh, sometimes love's intoxicating_

 _Ohh, you're coming down, your hands are shaking_

 _When you realize there's no one waiting_

 _Am I better off dead?_

 _Am I better off a quitter?_

 _They say I'm better off now_

 _Than I ever was with her_

 _And my mates are all there trying to calm me down_

 _'Cause I'm shouting your name all over town_

 _I'm swearing if I go there now_

 _I can change her mind, turn it all around_

 _And I know that I'm drunk but I'll say the words_

 _And she'll listen this time even though they're slurred_

 _So I, dialed her number and confessed to her_

 _I'm still in love but all I heard_

 _Was nothing (nothing, nothing)_

 _She said nothing (nothing, nothing)_

 _Oh, I wanted words but all I heard was nothing_

 _Oh, I got nothing (nothing, nothing)_

 _I got nothing (nothing, nothing)_

 _Oh, I wanted words but all I heard was nothing_

 _Oh, I got nothing (nothing, nothing, nothing)_

 _I got nothing [x3]_

"You know, I've always kept that girl in my mind; the one I saved, I mean. I always hoped that she turned out alright," Soul whispered out of the blue. I thought it was sweet though. He can have a really big heart when he wants to.

"Hm. Maybe you love her," I teased. Soul shrugged her shoulders.

"Well I don't know about all that, but I definitely felt something for her. Why else would I have kept her in my mind for this long?" he thought out loud. He looked at me and in that moment, I saw a soft look that I hadn't seen in years. A look of innocence and truth. He hadn't made a face like that since middle school. I stare back, intrigued. Neither of us said a word in that moment; neither of us really knew what to say. Surely he wasn't implying anything… right?

I broke the gaze first to yawn and stretch. I stood up from my seat and smiled down at Soul, who still stared at me with those same childish, innocent eyes.

"Well, all this talking has gotten me tuckered out. I'll be off to bed now and don't you try anything funny, mister!" I warned, half-jokingly. Soul smirked up at me lazily and put both his hands up in a surrendering fashion.

"You got me. Goodnight, Maka," he grinned. I grinned back.

"See you in the morning," I implied. That was 'I better see you in the morning or I'm Maka-chopping you' face I just made then as well. He nodded, understandingly and I brought myself to my room, closing the door slightly behind me. I tiredly changed into my oversized jersey and panties, hopping right into bed. It didn't take long for me to drift off into a deep slumber. I snuggled up underneath my warm comforter and sighed with content.

* * *

 _"If you know what's good for you, you'd better keep your dirty hands off her!" a boy shouted. I have heard this voice before. It's the voice of my savior all those years ago. The one that saved me from the middle-aged men who were going to take advantage of me._

 _I heard this boy's voice, but I saw nothing. I couldn't even move my body! What kind of dream was this? This is the last that I remember of the unknown boy saving me, so the dream should end here, shouldn't it?_

 _"Don't worry, Maka. You're fine now. Just stay with me, alright?" the boy instructed._

 _Huh? Did he really say that to me? I never heard of this before, what kind of dream is this? Maybe this is what happened while I was passed out. I felt skin to skin contact on my legs and back. This boy was carrying me bridal style, it seems. All of a sudden, the sound of a police siren is heard._

 _"Fuck! Leave us alone, would ya', ya' damn dirty pigs! Good for nothin'…" he cursed under his breath in a whisper. He was evading the police at the time? Why? Who is he? Next thing I know, I'm placed down on something hard. It feels kind of… like plastic. Like a plastic tube or something. Maybe we were at a park, hiding out in one of the tunnels? That is where Papa said he found me. Did my savior stay with me?_

 _"Such a troublesome girl…" the boy says aloud as I felt his warm body sit next to mine._

 _"You're so damn careless, you know that? You've always been ever since we were kids. Everyone knows you shouldn't be walking around at this time of night alone," he scolded my unconscious body. He sounds so familiar but I don't understand why._

 _'I'm sorry. I'm glad you came to save me,' I thanked him in my mind. If it hadn't been for him, who knows what kind of person I would be today. I was always grateful for him saving my life and I never forgotten him._

 _"Where's your phone? I'll tell your parents to come get you," he whispered. I felt his hands feel around my jacket pocket. He grabbed my cellphone from my right pocket and I could hear him tapping on the phone to text. Once he was finished, he flipped the phone shut and placed it back in my pocket._

 _"Damn those guys for hurting you! Damnit! Why won't you wake up, Maka?" he sounded desperate. I had never thought of it this whole time, but he must've been worried when I suddenly passed out and never woke up. How did that make him feel? He sounded like he was pretty torn about what he should do next. I felt him punch the floor next to him in frustration._

 _'I'm sorry for the trouble. I'm okay. See? I'm alright now because of you. You did a great job saving me,' I spoke to him mentally. I know he can't hear me, but I wish I could've woken up in that moment. I wish I could've said something to him that day, but I never got the chance to even find out who exactly he was._

 _"I'll never let anyone ever put their hands on you like that again. I'll always protect you-." He said before gasping silently to himself. He must've saw something that caught his attention. Sirens._

 _"Maka!" a voice shouted from the distance._

 _'Papa?' I asked myself. No, that was definitely Papa's voice. This must've been when he took me home._

 _"Shit! Gotta hide! Hopefully we'll see each other again sometime, Maka. Wait for me," he instructed before jumping out of the other side of the tunnel and fleeing the area._

 _'What? Wait for him? But who was he? I have to know! What is your name?!' I cried out in thought, but none of my words reached him._

* * *

The next second, I woke up breathing roughly as I sat up in a start. I clutched my heart that was beating wildly and I wiped the sweat from my brow. _I never had that dream before. Was that really what the boy was saying while I was passed out?_ My head was pounding from all the emotional stress I received from that one dream.

"Ahh, I need to smoke." I grabbed my pack of cigarettes and my lighter as I headed out to the living room for a smoke.

I sat down on one of my speakers near the cracked window like I always do. I placed the cancer stick between my index and middle finger and into my mouth, lighting the end of it and I inhaled before releasing the light. One long drag. Exhale. For the sake of cooling my heated head, I opened to window up even more and stared out into the night.

"I didn't know you smoke," a voice spoke in a raspy tone behind me. I looked at the man from the corner of my eye, boringly. Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," I softly spoke, turning my attention back to the city. I heard him stretch and yawn before he took a few steps in my direction.

"Well, while we're up, why don't you lend one over to me?" he asked. I handed him a cig and lit it for him, not taking a single glance away from the night sky. He sat next to him on the other speaker and faced my direction entirely. After a few moments of staring at the starry, night sky, I faced him as well, crossing my legs and leaning back a bit while we stared each other in the eye. Neither of us broke the glance; it were as if we were trying to read each other's mind.

"You're so hard to read when you're like this, Maka. That's a first," he said, grinning. He inhaled. Held. Exhaled. This pattern repeatedly itself multiple times as if it were serving as a reason for silence. I laughed a bit and exhaled the smoke through my nose, earning a cock of the brow from Soul.

"Shut up. I needed to clear my head. Had some weird kind of dream," I explained before taking another drag on my cigarette.

"Oh? What about?" Soul asked, inhaling. I let out my smoke and caught my breath before managing to speak.

"I was saved. I was 16 years old back then. A boy saved me from these old guys that said somethin' about keeping them company all night long or somethin' like that. He saved me, but I don't know who it was," I explained as shortly as I could before inhaling again. I held it in and tapped the ashes off the end of my cancer stick into my ash tray.

Soul gave me a look. I'm not even really sure what this look was, but it was one of _those_ looks. The ones where you know something that somebody doesn't and you just look at them like 'what the hell'. After a really long drag and hold, Soul exhaled the smoke into my face.

"Maka, do you really not know?" he asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"No. I passed out right when the boy arrived. It's not like I got a good glimpse at his face. I guess I'm just curious. Don't you ever feel that way when you think about the girl you saved?" I asked.

"No, because I know who she was."

"Oh yeah?"

Soul blew more smoke into my face like he was trying to imply something. I blankly stared at him, not understanding what he was trying to say. He grins. "YOU, Maka."

I jumped up, startled at the sound of my name. _Huh? What? Wait a minute…_

"Me? When was that?" I asked in disbelief. I had reason to believe that he was only pulling my leg, but who was to say it was true or not?

"I told you the first night, didn't I? I saved you that night those men attacked you," he said. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Silence.

I sat there staring at his face to look for the simple hit of a lie or deception. Nothing was there. All I saw was the same look that he gave me back in middle school. The look of an honest and true person who wished only for me to believe in his words. His eyes were persuading. They always have been. The expression he showed was one of a savior. One of comfort and worry. In that moment, I had to believe him whether I wanted to or not.

"I'm gonna melt, Maka," Soul broke the trance. I looked down at my cigarette; it was almost out. Another drag. Hold. Breathe out.

"You never told me?" I whispered the question. I saw Soul shrug a bit.

"I guess I just figured that you already knew. I never lied about it or anything," he said softly. When I listened to his voice, I knew that that had to be the voice from my dream. It was exactly alike, only the young boy sounded… well… younger.

"Also, I wasn't lying about what I said before," he added. I cocked an eyebrow at him in confusion. _What he said? He said a lot of things! Hell, I had a whole dream about 'what he said'!_

"Umm, what do you mean?" He grinned.

"I'll let you figure that one out on your own." Inhale. Hold. Exhale. I pouted at him and did the same. Inhale. Hold. This exhale, I blew the smoke in Soul's face this time, surprising him. He looked at me with wide eyes and his mouth hung slightly open. I winked at him and put out my cigarette, calling it a night.

"You're a piece of work, Eater. Truthfully." I walked out of the living room with a sway and retreated back into my bed. _Yeah, he really is…_

* * *

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

Maka left me there, dumbfounded. As soon as the door closed behind her, I snapped out of it and laughed under my breath. _I'M the piece of work, Maka?_ I puffed out a trail of smoke and looked to the ceiling.

 _She sure brings back memories, that's for sure. I wasn't lying when I said that I hadn't forgotten her. I can still remember that night like it was just yesterday…_

I was on the run at the time. It was a few months after the whole incident and I had to lay low from the cops. For the time being, I was just hiding out until the right moment and then I planned to get further away from the city just when the time was right. No one had seen me for months; at least so I thought. I was spotted in a nearby alleyway and had to flee, but on my way, I came across an adjacent alleyway; the alleyway where Maka was being held.

 _"If you know what's good for you, you'd better get your dirty hands off of her!"_

When I realized who the girl was, I ran right into action without a second thought. I was outnumbered, but they were outmatched. The two guys playing backup were first. No competition. Next was the head honcho. He was a bit tougher, but what was most difficult was that he didn't fight fair. I ended up getting sliced up from my left shoulder all the way down to my right hip. It was a pretty deep cut, but that was the least of my worries. All that mattered was getting Maka to safety. I managed to disarm the thug and gave him one good knockout punch. That did the trick.

 _"Don't worry, Maka. You're fine now. Just stay with me, alright?"_

When all was said and done, I found Maka slumped on the floor, passed out. Probably out of shock. I figured that it wouldn't be best to just leave her there, so I picked up her unconscious body and fled with her. Of course, the cops were all over the place since I had been tipped off, so I snuck around the back streets and ended up at an old park in one of the quieter, cut off neighborhoods. There weren't any police cruisers in the area. I hid her in the middle of a giant, plastic tunnel in the park that served as a blind spot from the outside. I knew I couldn't leave her alone, so I guarded her despite the fact that I was the one who couldn't be seen.

 _"Such a troublesome girl… You're so damn careless, you know that?..."_

Maka has always been careless. Naïve too. Ever since we were kids, it's always been the same thing. She's like one of those damn pacifists that always try to find the good in people. She always thinks that she can bring people into the light, but that's hardly the case. I worry for her sometimes because of it, whether I want to or not. She's such a good girl; but maybe she's just a little too good.

 _"Where's your phone? I'll tell your parents to come get you."_

I texted her dad. I told him something that I thought she might say. _'Papa, can you come get me? I'm at the old abandoned park and I don't know how to get home. Please come quickly.'_ I didn't know Maka well enough to know how she talks to her parents, but if this text got her to safety, I didn't care.

 _"Damn those guys for hurting you! Damnit!"_

The thought of some creepy old guy with no life putting his hands all over Maka made me furious. Even to this day, I'm still upset about it. If only I had come sooner… If only she wasn't walking home so late at night… If only someone had been with her. Guys can be jerks, no matter what age. I should know plenty about that. When I watched Maka lay there, unconsciously, I felt a sense of panic. All she had to do was open her damn eyes and I would've been fine. I didn't know if she was going to wake up in the next minute, the next hour, the next day… All she needed to do was open her eyes even for just a little bit and I would've felt a little more secure. _Why isn't she waking up? Is she alright? What does she remember?_ All these dangerous questions lingered around in my head as I waited for something. Whether it was her waking up, the police to find me or her dad coming to bring her home. Something.

 _"Maka!" a man's voice screamed out. I looked to my right and there was a red haired man running towards us. I recognized him as her father; the man I only knew as our teacher at the high school. A siren sounded when I looked to my left. Damnit!_

 _"Shit! Gotta hide! Hopefully we'll see each other again sometime, Maka. Wait for me."_

I spoke my last goodbye to Maka, half-heartedly before I jumped out of the tunnel and fled the area. I never had any intention of seeing Maka again after that. In fact, I hoped I wouldn't have seen her again because I knew if I did, she'd never turn away from me. That's just the kind of person she is. Meddling, persistent, disaster-attracting… sweet, kindhearted… That's what makes up Maka Albarn. So I knew that seeing her again would only cause trouble for the both of us. I hoped for her well-being; she deserved it since she worked so hard for it. Sure, I might've been a little cruel to her, but that was the only way to get her to stay away. Now, I want to be mean to her. I want to be cruel so that she'd let me go, but even I'm findin' it hard to walk away from her again. Why did I even let myself get involved with her the first night? Why did I insist on staying with her? I could've found another place to stay if I wanted. But when I saw her, I just couldn't turn away from her again… This spells trouble for the both of us and I could bring her into some serious danger if I stick around for too long. I knew I had to try and cut ties with her. It was inevitable anyway, might as well get it over with.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale. I watched the city lights shine over the darkened buildings and signs of Death City. _This place never changes. I doesn't matter how many times I leave and come back, it's always the same thing._ But some things have… Look at Maka. Now _that girl has changed._

Back in high school, Maka was an innocent, shy little thing, believe it or not. She never knew how to talk to people in crowds; don't even get me started on boys. In all the time I knew Maka, she never even had a boyfriend! That girl was a pure little speck of virgin snow. But look at the infamous Maka now… Getting catcalls on the streets when she walks by, smoking cigarettes, cursing when she gets angry… A total 180 spin from the girl she used to be. Though, I figured she's no innocent little girl anymore. She has experienced things that broke her out of her little shell. In high school, I remember how her good friend (Liz, I think it was?) was always caught smoking on school grounds. One day, Liz tried cuttin' class to smoke Maka up, but all she could say was 'No way! We might get caught and get in trouble!' But look at 'er now. Smoking a joint with only an a big shirt and her white-laced panties on (yeah, they were pokin' out the whole entire time and she didn't even notice) in front of a guy like me in the middle of the night. I won't complain though. Maka _did_ look pretty hot when she smoked. Balancing her cigarette between her dainty little fingers, her eyes closed halfway as she puffed out her smoke, her puckered lips as the smoke escaped her mouth… yeah, believe it. It was totally sexy which is surprising for me to say about little innocent, angel Maka.

"Hmph. Yeah? Well you're a piece of work too, Maka," I whispered out loud, putting out my cig. I laid back down on my spot on the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

"You'd better be okay by yourself when I leave you."

* * *

 _Sizzleeee… Sizzleeee…_

"Mmm…" I groaned, waking up to a sizzling sound in the kitchen. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I sat up sluggishly and adjusted my eyes to the brightness of the sunlight. Over in the kitchen was Maka, still in her large jersey without pants with her long, wavy hair cascading down her back. She had her back turned to me while she prepared our breakfast. _I never really noticed before… but has Maka really always been that short?_ As Maka's short stature stood in front of the stove, she looked almost as short as a freshman. It kind of… cute in a way. Wait, what?

She didn't notice that I woke up, so I took my time enjoying the sight of a woman cooking my breakfast for me. _Remind me to get a wife like this someday._

"I'm gonna melt, Soul," Maka called out over the sound of the crackles. _Guess she did notice after all._

"Huh?" I said, trying to play it off like I wasn't lookin' at her. She smiled from over her shoulder and looked at me with those big jewel-colored green eyes.

"I can feel your stares, doofus. Don't worry, breakfast is almost ready," she said. I breathed a sigh of relief. _Great, she thinks I was staring at the bacon._

"Sleep well?" she asked.

"Yeah. You?"

"Better. Smoking has always calmed my mind."

"Yeah about that, how long have you been doin' it?" I asked out of curiosity. Surely, she hadn't started in high school. She was way too much of a goody-two-shoes for that. Maka smirks a little, but even though she didn't look at me while she spoke, I could tell that she had a scrutinizing look on her face.

"Smoking? I've been smoking ever since my last relationship ended. Liz lent me a cigarette and a shoulder to cry on and I've been hooked ever since," she recalled. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Wait, wait, wait. You started smoking because of your ex?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"…You're so damn dramatic," I laughed. Maka crunched her fists up at her side and turned around to me with a pouting scowl.

"Yeah?! Well what about you, huh? When did _you_ start?" she accusingly questioned. I laid back, hands behind my head as I recollected the day.

"Five years ago. I was bored so I snuck out a pack on one of my runs for kicks." Ahhh, that was a good day. I felt so relaxed when I took that first puff. Most people cough and choke on their first drag, but I took it like a pro. I know it's supposed to be bad for you, but c'mon, I was bored. Cut me some slack! **(A/N: DO. NOT. SMOKE. CIGARETTES! I am simply putting the cigarettes in this story because it calls for dramatic effect. I do not condone the usage of cigarettes or marijuana! Be healthy and you will be happy (: …okay on with the chapter! :D)**

"Hmph," Maka huffed, looking away from me and lifting her nose in the air. I grinned at this childish action of hers.

"Mad?"

"You wish!"

"…you're mad," I chuckled even more. She reddened.

"Am not!" she blushed even more as she yelled at me. I've always liked that angry, embarrassed look on her face. It suits her (used to be) innocent personality. Finding fun in making her become even more flustered, I walked up daringly right up to her and planted my hand on the counter next to her. I leaned my grinning face right up to hers, bringing our lips only inches away.

"I like that look on your face. You should make it more often," I flirted, red mixing with green. I got my desired result. She shook her head violently and backed up a couple steps.

"Ack! What are you even saying?" she shouted.

"Embarrassed?" I teased.

"So what if I am?!" _That's a yes._ I laughed at her and pinched her burning cheeks. _Yup, they're just as hot as they look. Glad to know I make her nervous._ I felt a sense of accomplishment.

"Ow! Let go you idiot! Your bacon's gonna burn!" she yelped. I pouted and sacrificed my entertainment for the sake of my breakfast. I leaned back on the door frame of the kitchen and watched Maka work her magic on some eggs with cheese, and bacon. She also threw a few sausages on a pan and went to work. I stayed there with her the whole time, not particularly saying anything important. Just makin' small talk for the sake of having a conversation while we waited. It didn't take long to finish everything up. She prepared my breakfast on a plate (I don't know why she's gotten into the habit of serving my meals to me; I could've just made my own plate.) and she placed the plate at my spot at the table. I sat at my chair that I usually sit in and she brought me my own fork and knife.

"Thanks, Maka," I thanked before digging into my breakfast. Maka smirked and rolls her eyes as if to say 'You're welcome, you big idiot'. She made her own plate, much smaller than my portion and she took her seat next to me at the table. We ate in silence until she broke it.

"So you're leaving today?" she asked, timidly.

"Yeah. Can't stay in one place for too long. Besides, I have to figure out my next move. Why, you gonna miss me or somethin'?" I teased, placing a piece of sausage in my mouth. Her eyebrows formed a 'v' formation.

"As if!" she retorts. I pouted.

"Aw, that's a shame. I'm gonna miss you, beautiful." Since the first night, she has always grown flustered and vulnerable at pet names. Today was no exception. She looked up at me, saucer-eyed and tomato-faced. Just what I wanted. I winked at her and returned my attention to the plate of food before me. Nothing else was said between the two of us as we finished our last precious bites of or breakfast. Maka insisted on cleaning up. Really, she's too goddamn nice for her own good. _Seriously, remind me to get a wife like this someday!_

"I'm gonna grab a shower before I head out," I informed. She nodded at me, but it all seemed too easy. I saw yet another perfect opportunity to mess with Maka, so I willingly took the challenge. Before I turned to retrieve my clothes, I leaned back in close to Maka as she washed the dishes and I brought my lips up close to her ear, just barely touching it.

"Let me know if you wanna join me. I'll make sure you never forget me again," I cooed in her ear gently. This reaction was slightly different; instead of getting violently nervous, she blushed and shuddered uncontrollably. _Oh? This is new. I think I like this reaction A LOT better._ But just when I thought that, she turned her face to glare at me.

"Get your ass in the shower already!" she growled. I kept up my act, hoping to find the same reaction.

"Hmm… Eager?" I whispered in the same voice. No dice.

"SOUL!" she growled louder. _Oh well, back to the drawing board then._ I chuckled under my breath.

"Ha, just kidding… Maybe." I grabbed my clothes for the day out of my duffel bag and prepared a shower. I could've sworn when I closed the bathroom door behind me, I heard a small sigh from the flustered woman. A smile etched on my face. _Seriously, Maka, you are way too easy to mess with._

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

 _What the hell is he thinking?!_ A sigh of exasperation escaped my lips as I heard the water droplets from the shower hit the floor of the tub in the other room. A moment of peace of I dried my last dish and listened to the pitter-patter of the water. It didn't last long though when I realized that each water drop meant that our time together was coming to a close very soon. If you asked me why that bothered me, I couldn't tell you; Hell I don't even know myself. I pouted and put the plate back in its cupboard.

For a moment or two, I lost track of what I was going to do next, so I just stood there in the middle of the kitchen. My mind wandered to last night when Soul revealed himself to me as my savior all those years ago. When I pieced it together in my head, it was no surprise. The only thing that surprised me was that back then, he tried so hard to avoid me and push me out of his life, so why would he have cared about my well-being? I guess it could've just been out of instinct. I mean, if you walk by someone you know who's in trouble, wouldn't you wanna at least try to do something that could help them? But that wouldn't excuse what he said in my dream. If what I heard in my dream last night was really what happened, then he must've saved me because of something else. Maybe he really did care for me? I wouldn't completely put it past him.

"What was that about when he said, 'he wasn't lying about what he said'? He has said a lot of things since the first night, so how am I supposed to know what he's talking about?" I questioned out loud. The whole thing was making me a little dizzy, so I sat down next to the cracked window atop my speaker like I always do when I smoke. I opened the window wide up and took out a cigarette from the pack I left on the windowsill. I took out my trusty lighter and lit the end of the cigarette, inhaling and snapping the lighter shut. I exhaled deeply towards the window as if I were engulfing the city in a cloud of smoke.

"Hey," Soul's voice rang out behind me. I didn't notice the water shut off in the bathroom. I turned around slowly and eyed the fully clothed Soul, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his red pants. He wore his red pants with a pair of black and yellow sneakers and a matching hoodie. On his head, he wore a headband that had the word 'EAT' on it with a bunch of pins of different characters decorated on it.

"That's a pretty loud outfit. You sure you won't be spotted?" I asked, smoking escaping my lips as I spoke. Soul snorted as he sat atop the same speaker he sat on last night during our smoke session. He cocked an eyebrow at me conceitedly and faced me.

"Don't you worry about me, princess, I'll be just fine. I've evaded the police for this long so I must be doing something right. I smiled and shook my head at him. A blast of wind blew through the window, messing with my hair. I inhaled and ran my fingers through my disheveled hair, holding and then exhaling once the window settled. Soul was staring at me the whole time, but I couldn't be bothered with it.

"Smoking's bad for you, ya' know," he put his two-cents in. I shook my head again, rolling my eyes at his hypocritical comment.

"Tch, you do it."

"Yeah, but you're a beautiful girl. You wouldn't want to fuck it up by smoking one cig too many." I paused for a minute, wide-eyed from the unexpected response, but then I let it all go. I snorted and blew out my puff of smoke in his face.

"Stop teasing," I whispered. He snickered.

"Says the one blowing smoke into my face. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you want me to put the moves on you." My cheeks heated up just a bit at this, but the small breeze coming from the window eased the burning sensation.

"Y-Yeah right…" I said back. He grinned and leaned back on the couch arm behind him. We were silent for a minute, but when my mind wandered back to what he said last night, I just had to ask.

"What did you mean last night about, 'you didn't lie about what you said'?" I asked in a quiet tone as I spoke while holding in the inhaled smoke.

"That again? I thought you would figure it out since you're so smart," he said. I shrugged my shoulders letting the smoke exit through my nose.

"You've said a lot of things, Soul. You expect me to know what you're talkin' about?" I asked, not really showing much emotion while I spoke. I glanced at a silent Soul next to me out of the corner of my eye and he gave me a very serious stare.

"I rarely lie, Maka. I only lie if I have to," he informed. _That's supposed to narrow it down!? Alright, whatever. Guess he's not gonna tell me right off the bat then. I'll just have to figure it out on my own._

Suddenly, Soul got up from sitting on the speaker and he gathered his things into his duffel bag. I watched as he put his dirty clothes on one side of the bag. He didn't have much in there and it didn't look like he was going to last too long with the materials he had. I got up, cigarette in hand and I opened the fridge in the kitchen to retrieve the leftovers from last night. I grabbed the Tupperware and handed it to the crouched down Soul.

"Here. You're leaving right now?" I asked, still not showing any emotion at all. That's how I was when I had that cancer stick in my hand. Nothing really mattered. Anyway, Soul turned to me, smiling as he accepted the Tupperware of food.

"Thanks again, and yeah. I gotta get back out there before it gets too late. Plus, I got someone to meet," he said, stuffing the plastic container in his bag for later. I sat back down on my speaker and crossed my legs. I propped my elbow up on my elevated knee, supporting my chin with my closed fist. Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

"Are you coming back tonight?" I asked, not noticing that I have a small pout on my face. Soul turned and saw my face, softening his gaze. His hand reached out to my hair and ruffled it much like a child. A warm smile placed on his face. _Is he ever NOT smiling? Oh well, it suits him anyway…_

"Not tonight, but don't worry, baby girl. This ain't goodbye forever," he reassured. I huffed in embarrassment for even caring and I pouted as the heat once again rose to my cheeks. _Seems like red's gonna be the color of the day today._

Soul laughed as he looked towards the streets outside. He was checking to see if the coast was clear. He couldn't have anyone seeing him exit the building or it would've looked suspicious. When he is satisfied, I notice that he takes one last peek at me. His stare was hard, so I looked back up to meet with his eyes. Suddenly, the warm, caring look in his eyes was replaced with one of devilish intent and his face inched way too close to me. If he were only to move the slightest bit, we would've kissed. I didn't move at all, I only stared into his deep, red eyes with wide eyes and the lingering feeling of heat rising through my body. _Huh? What the hell?_

Soul smirked and his darkening eyes eyed my lips. _Wait, he's not gonna kiss me, is he?! Why is he so quiet right now out of all times?! SAY SOMETHING!_ Soul's eyes squinted just a bit as his grin widened, probably sensing my uneven breaths and shuddering body.

"You'd better take care of yourself in the meantime, got it?" he whispered in a sexily deep voice that I never heard before. I couldn't trust my voice, afraid that I might let out an unwanted squeak, so I nodded in response instead. I didn't know what to expect next, but Soul patted me on the head and retreated back, smile still present. I stayed frozen in place as I watched him exit through the window swiftly and carefully. Before he jumped down to the concrete, he looked to me from over his shoulder and said something only loud enough for me to hear.

"Be a good girl while I'm gone." With that, he jumped down off of the building and disappeared into the alleyway like a scurrying mouse. I sighed, taking one last drag of my cigarette before putting it out in my ashtray. _Yup, I was totally right. You are something else, Eater._

* * *

Later on that same day, the girls and I decided to get away from it all on our day off, so we planned to go shopping in the shopping district together. I dressed in my light blue ripped skinny jeans and light pink sweatshirt, paired with my white flip flops. It was a lazier day than usual. I twisted my hair into a top knot and walked down to the shopping district. Tsubaki arrived first. I found her sitting on a bench in the middle of the district. Soon after me, the twins arrived, completing our group.

"Ahh, thank God we're away from home, right Patty?" Liz sighed as she strolled towards Tsubaki and I, hands in her trendy skinny jeans. Patty's eyes automatically began to glow as soon as she looked through the window of a toy store.

"GIRAFFE!" she shouted, spotting a stuffed giraffe and running towards the window of the shop. _Oh, that Patty… Still a kid at heart just as she's always been._ Liz shook her head at her twin sisters and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Why? What's at home?" Tsubaki asked, tilting her head to the side a bit.

"Trouble. The police keep harassing us with questions about Soul. I keep telling them that we haven't seen or heard from him in years, but they won't stop bothering us," she ranted with aggravation. I can understand how that'd be bothersome, though they only questioned me once. Why would they continue to ask the same questions to the same people? The police seem to be doing a pretty sucky job at trying to find Soul. No wonder he was able to evade them so easily…

"Really? They came to question me yesterday morning," I said. Tsubaki shrugged her shoulders.

"I haven't been questioned at all. I don't think my neighbors have been either," she stated. Liz outstretched her arm and placed it on Tsubaki's shoulder with a look of envy.

"You're one of the lucky ones," Liz grumbled.

"I'm sure it'll die out soon. If they already questioned you once, why else would they keep questioning you?" I pointed out.

"They say that it's because we were classmates around the time he disappeared so they think that one of the classmates could've known something. I mean I get it, but why badger me out of all people? I wasn't his only classmate, ya' know," Liz ranted. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled in irritation. Tsubaki smiled sympathetically and placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"Well, let's try not to think about it. We came here to have fun, so let's get to it!" she cheered in encouragement. That perked Liz up enough to be dragged off by Tsubaki into a shop nearby. I think we all needed a little break from reality for a while. After all that's been happening, we needed to have some kind of release and this is where Liz usually found it. I, on the other hand would rather be in the coffee shop or at a library, but shopping is a close third.

Patty dashed into the toy store while Liz took off in the opposite direction to shop in a beauty store. We can expect that the two of them wouldn't be back for a couple of hours. Tsubaki dragged me off into a lingerie store. Don't ask me why; it's a girl thing. She browsed through a bunch of different sets of underwear and matching bras, but I only stood there supervising rather than browsing. Unlike me, Tsubaki actually had someone to impress with her under garments; she had to worry about the styles more than I did. She wasn't having it, though. Once Tsubaki tried on her lingerie and paid for her sets, she refused to leave the store until I bought some stuff as well. Against my will, she threw me in a dressing room, dropping sets after sets into the room for me to try on.

"C'mon, Tsubaki! Don't you think this is a little much?!" I shouted from inside the dressing room, picking up a pair of crotchless panties that she threw in with only my pointer finger and thumb. I shuddered in disgust and threw it at the wall of the small room.

"You have to be open to trying new things, Maka! Just get out of those clothes and try something on already!" she demanded. I absolutely refused to get anything as drastic as crotchless panties. Instead, I picked up a pink bra that Tsubaki threw at me and the matching underwear to go with it.

I stripped myself of my clothing and slipped into the lingerie. This wasn't all too bad. The bra was a pale pink color with darker pink vertical stripes on it. The trim was decorated with white lace and it had a cute little white bow in the middle with a tiny little diamond hanging between the cups. It was a pushup bra so it gave off plenty of sex appeal (not that I really cared). I slipped on the matching panties which were pretty much the same idea; pale pink, darker pink vertical stripes, white trim, small white bow at the top. The back half of the panties were completely made of pale pink lace and the style of the panties were a comfortable pair of boyshorts. _I can do with this._

"Did you try something on?" Tsubaki called from the outside of the dressing room.

"Yeah. The pink one," I answered. I stripped myself and hung up with lingerie set off to the side for later.

"Yay or nay?" Tsubaki asked. She was such a goofball, asking a 'yes or no' question like that. I chuckled and played along.

"Yay. I'm gonna try on the white one now," I answered.

I picked up a white and silver bra that looked a little less decorative, but it was sexy enough, for sure. I clasped the bra on in the back and slipped the panties on. This style was a bit different. The bra was in the shape of a bustier and it was mostly white. The upper half of the cup was decorated with silver lace with the bottom half decorated with white lace. Between the cups there was a grey bow that gave it a nice girly touch. The panties were much different from the ones I previously tried on though. These panties were basically a transparent white diamond covering my private area with three grey strings on either side connecting to either side of the diamond and attaching to the diamond in the back, covering my ass. It was definitely a sexy look, but maybe the panties were a little too much?

"Which one did you try on?" Tsubaki called out. I swallowed spit, staring at myself in the mirror, unsure of the decision.

"The white and silver one. I don't know about this one, Tsu. Maybe the panties are kinda pushin' it a bit, don't you think?"

"Nope! That's one of my favorites! It even comes with a garter belt and stockings! If you don't buy that one, I'm buying it for you, so either way you have to get it!" she called out. _Damnit, Tsubaki! Who do you think I'm trying to impress?!_

"Ugh fine! I'm trying on the black one," I huffed in annoyance. I hated shopping for these kind of things. They made me feel so insecure about my body. I was fine with a simple pair of lacey boyshorts, but the girls would never let me go shopping without having me buy a matching set! If it made them happy… Besides, you could never have too much lingerie.

I stripped down and moved on to the next set of lingerie. This one was all black and red. I'll sum it up for ya' so I don't have to bore you too much with the process. The bra was an all black push up bra that was completely made of black lace with satin horizontal stripes decorating the cups. In the middle was a large red bow tied with a small lacey black string. The panties were a lacey black thong with red bows decorating the band. It came with a garter belt and stocking as well that I actually found cute. I decided to keep that one.

The next was a midnight blue satin push up bra (you can guess why I love push up bras so much, can't you?) that was only decorated with a big black bow in between the cups. Two bows on each of the straps decorated the bra as well, but that was about it. It was much more plain and much more… me. The panties were also satin, midnight blue bikini styled panties. A single black bow in the middle was all the decoration it needed. That one was a keeper too.

The last pair I tried was the ones with the crotchless panties (oh dear God)… This was a red lacey number. The bra was a strapless pushup bra. The upper half of the cups were decorated with black lacey that had a design that looked kind of like a bunch of roses. In between the cups were a big, black bow with a little dangling red heart in the middle. Obviously, the crotchless panties were… ya' know… CROTCHLESS. They were completely made of red lace and to contrast with the black laced garter belt that was decorated with big satin bows where the black nylon suspender stockings connected. I thought it was really cute, but I refused to buy the underwear crotchless. Tsubaki gave in at the end and traded the crotchless panties in for similar boyshort panties that were identical, only they weren't missing the necessary fabric.

"Okay, can we please go now? I'll get all of them if it'll get us out of here faster," I pleaded, sweaty and tired from changing so much in that hot ass dressing room. Tsubaki beamed with joy when I said this.

"REALLY?! You promise?!" she grabbed both of my hands into hers with wide, happy eyes. I nodded my head. Just then, she immediately gathered up all of the lingerie and ran to the counter with them for me. _Wow, she's even more excited about this than I am…_ After I paid a fortune for my new undergarments, we immediately left the store and retreated to the bench where we met. There, Liz and Patty had already met up. Liz was sitting on the bench, crying into her hands. Patty on the other hand was playing with her, woah, what the heck?! How did she even find the money to get a giraffe that freakin' huge?!

"WAAAAHH! I'm such an idiot!" Liz cried on Tsubaki's shoulder as soon as she spotted us walking towards them. I stared in awe at Patty's humungous giraffe while Liz complained to Tsubaki. Apparently, she went to the makeup store and bought a pair of fake eyelashes, an eyeshadow compact and some black eyeliner and she wasted all her money.

"I don't have a single penny left! Why do I even need this stuff, anyway?! I have so much at home! I can't even return this stuff! I don't want it, TAKE IT BACK!" she screamed. I sighed. _Yeah, I know how that feels… Makeup will cost you a leg an arm, half your brain and an eyeball just for one eyeshadow compact. It sucks. Poor Liz._ **(A/N: Who else knows this struggle?! Review if you do xD)** Tsubaki tried to calm down the hysterical Liz.

"PATTY! Why did you even get that stupid giraffe?! We can't even fit it in our apartment anyway! You wasted your money! Besides, YOU WORK AT A ZOO! WHY DO YOU NEED A GIRAFFE?!" Liz scolded. Patty paid her no mind though. She only cheered happily as she pretended to ride on its back. I shook my head at everyone. _This is a goddamn mess. I need to do something about this._

"Hey, how about ice cream?! That always cheers people up? You guys all for it?" I asked with an exaggerated smile on my face. Liz only scowled at me, but the other girls nodded with smiles, gratefully.

"NO! I DON'T! I can't even pay for a stupid ice cream cone!" She wailed. I rolled my eyes and lifted her up off the ground by her arm, dragging her along with the others.

"Stop being a baby, Liz. It's on me so stop yer' hollerin'," I grumbled. She cried quieter until she was able to stop all together. We all walked along with our shopping bags in our hands and we went over the open ice cream parlor. Since Liz kept crying about her being the only one who couldn't pay for herself, I ended up paying for everyone's ice cream. We all got our ice cream cones, Liz wiping her tears as she licked it carefully, as if making sure that her licks wouldn't be hard enough to knock the scoop off the cone.

We all returned to the bench and sat side by side, showing each other what we bought. Tsubaki bought two sets of lingerie that both contained crotchless panties. None of us asked why she would buy such a thing. Clearly you must understand why. Patty bought her unnecessarily large giraffe, a little giraffe keychain and a matching giraffe necklace that she got for Crona. (Don't bother understanding why so many giraffes; we don't understand it either. But she loves it and we love her so, it just goes.) Liz showed us a small box that showed the long faux eyelashes she bought along with a cylinder tube that I assumed was full of her eyeliner. It looked like a good quality eyeliner though and the tube looked like there was quite a bit in there that would last her plenty of uses. The eyeshadow compact she bought had 8 different eyeshadows in it. They all looked similar to some type of beige-brown color. These eyeshadows would've gone with pretty much anything, so there was no need for her to cry. Sure, it was ridiculous to waste so much money on makeup, but if it was good quality stuff that would last long, then who cares?

Next, I showed the group my lingerie sets, making sure that nobody else was peeking. I didn't need the whole world knowing what kind of panties I wear… Though, I guess I'm talking to you guys, so… I guess the whole world DOES know what kind of panties I wear, don't they? Heheh… hi.

"That's some pretty hot lingerie you bought, Maka. Now all you need is a boyfriend to show it off for," Liz said, smiling. Yeah, the ice cream cheered her up pretty fast… HEY WAIT! A BOYFRIEND?! Wait a minute!

"H-Hey! None of that! I'm perfectly fine by myself, thanks!" I scowled and blushed at the comment while I stuffed the under garments back into the bag. Liz pouted like a damn puppy dog.

"Aww, but Maka, it's been so long. Are you sure you wouldn't want someone to cuddle with? Someone to wake up to in the morning?" she asked, persuasively. I thought about it for a minute, but when I did, who else but Soul popped up in my head. Granted, I have been taking care of him and waking up to him for the past couple of days. I'll admit it, it is a lot better to have company rather than to wake up lonely and go to sleep lonely. Even if Soul was just sleeping on the couch, knowing that he was there as well made me feel a little happier. I guess it didn't totally suck to wake up to him and make our breakfasts. Hmm… Maybe getting a boyfriend wouldn't be a horrible idea after all.

"Well, I guess-."

"So then it's decided! We'll find you a hot guy and we'll introduce you guys! Then you two can talk and see if you like each other. It's perfect!" Liz beamed, holding up a fist as she looks determinedly at the blue sky.

"A-Alright, calm down. I'll go along with it, but if I don't like it-."

"GREAT! My place it is!" Liz grabbed my arm and pulled me off of the bench, the others following behind us. _Oh, brother… What have I gotten myself into this time?_

* * *

"Seriously, you guys don't have to do this for me." I timidly twiddled my thumbs as I sat on the couch alone. The other girls were sitting behind Liz looking on while Liz browsed her friend's list for any suitable candidates. Liz looked at me from over her shoulder, glaring coldly.

"Oh no you don't! You're not getting gout of this one! You said that we could help you, so we're doing this!" Liz shouted. I sat back with a sigh and looked up to the ceiling. I just wanted this whole thing to be over with.

"I know, but-."

"FOUND HIM!" Liz screamed in triumph. I immediately lifted myself off of the couch and ran next to her to see the guy she found. I looked at the guy's profile picture and immediately became amazed. A blush rose to my cheeks as my eyes grew wider.

On the screen was a tall, lanky boy styled with gaged spikes in his ears, a black slouchy beanie, a plaid red button-up shirt, faded jeans and black combat boots. He was leaned up against a brick wall with his hands dug deep into his pockets as a boyish, perfect smile was etched onto his face like a gift from God. He was damn gorgeous! He had dark brown hair that had a cute, little cowlick in the front and his eyes were a beautiful icy blue. _A man like this CANNOT exist! He's totally hot! I stand no chance!_

"W-What's his name?" I squeaked, still paralyzed by his picture. _Oh god, PLEASE let that really be him! Don't let this be like one of those lame Catfish episodes… PLEASE!_

"His name's Daisuke. Want me to hook you up? He's 24 years old and he works at the local library. It's like a match made in heaven!" Liz said, not even bothering letting me answer first. Instead, she went straight to work, messaging him before I could even get a say in. _God, I am begging you… PLEASE! LET THIS BE LEGIT!_

"I'm gonna give him your number, alright? Expect a text tonight," Liz said, looking at me from over her shoulder and winking at me. My blush wasn't going away this time. No way.

"Oooh! Aren't you excited, Maka?! This guy looks totally perfect for you!" Tsubaki squealed, grabbing my hand and smiling wider than anything. I smirked a little in her direction and nodded weakly.

"U-Umm yeah… Just a bit nervous," I admitted.

"Don't be. Daisuke is an absolute sweetheart. Look, he's already answering back!" she jumped up and down in her seat in excitement. Before things got too out of hand, I checked the time. 6pm. _I should be off on my way before it gets too dark._

"Guys, I'm gonna head home now. I got to go to work in the morning and it's getting late. See you guys later?" I said, grabbing my bags and getting ready to start my walk. Liz was typing back to Daisuke when I bid my farewell. Tsubaki looked at me, concerned.

"You gonna be alright by yourself?" she asked. I nodded, reassuringly and gave her a hug.

"Hmm, yeah, I'm good. See you guys later!" I waved goodbye, showing myself out. They all waved back and watched me as I went.

* * *

 _Ding. 'Hm?'_ I checked my phone after it dinged as soon as I walked through the door of my apartment.

 _Unknown 7:03pm_

 _'Hi, is this Maka Albarn?'_

I immediately texted back, figuring that it must've been Daisuke.

 _'Hello, yes, is this Daisuke?' SEND._

I walked in through the door and set all my things down. I threw my lingerie bag in my room, not wanting anything to do with it. Another ding sounded through my apartment.

 _Unknown 7:04pm_

 _'That it is (: Nice to meet you'_

 _'Nice to meet you too. Sorry about Liz. She can be a little persistent at times. I hope she didn't bother you.' SEND._

I changed his phone contact to 'Daisuke' and I added his number into my phone. He texted back right away.

 _Daisuke 7:06pm_

 _'Not at all! I'm always open to meeting new people (:'_

I smiled after reading his text. Yeah, I was definitely going to like this kid…

 **A/N:** **Thanks for all you guys' reviews! They really make me happy (: So tell me, what do you think of Daisuke? Do you think he's legit or do you think he's gotta be hiding something? I mean c'mon! No guy like that wouldn't have something to hide, am I right? It all seems too easy! Hell, I surprise myself with the things I come up with because I literally just throw shit together XD Just kidding! Kind of... And who else knows the struggle of buying makeup?! Dude, seriously, I will waste my whole life on makeup if my mom would let me xD It's so bad! Alright, well I'm gonna go get started on these college applications! WISH ME LUCK! I will be updating very soon so watch out for it! Thank you for reading, I will see you all very soon so STAY BEAUTIFUL AND STAY AWAY FROM CANCER STICKS! ;0 (:**


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N:_** **** **Well hello there (: You are about to read Chapter Five of Mama, I'm In Love With a Criminal! First off, I'm just gonna let you guys know; there was an issue with me being able to reply to you guys' reviews. I can read them perfectly fine on my email app, but for some reason, I can't locate your reviews on the website. It's like they up and disappeared! So here's what I'll do instead (; I'm reply to your reviews in the A/N introductions and you'll be able to read them in the chapter updates if you prefer (: I'll answer all of them, don't worry. I just wanted to let you know why I haven't been answering you guys lately ),: Here's the review replies!**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **OtakuPrincess28 - You are definitely on the right track there! I do have plenty of plans for Daisuke in Chapter 6, don't you worry (; And YEEEAAHH! Oh my gosh, I just bought a new eyeliner and a new concealer today at my local drugstore and it came out to like $24! Ridiculous! Also, with the college applications, I ended up deciding to go to a high end hairdressing academy first before I go to college for creative writing (: Seems like the most logical move so now that that's out of the way, i feel much more refreshed :D Thank you though!**

 **chelsea-chee - Thank you! And yes, I have something very devious planned for the next few chapters and it's gonna be great! And who doesn't love a good lemon?! :D I'm excited for it myself (;**

 **Not too many reviews this time, but it would've bothered me if I didn't respond to you guys ); Anyways, thank you to all my new followers and my new viewers! I hope I don't disappoint any of you! Every time I see a new notification about Mama, I'm in Love With a Criminal, I get so happy and I'm always so excited to get the chance to talk to you guys individually because you guys really are the best in my opinion (not just saying that (; ) Well, enough of tht mushy gushy crap. ON WITH THE STORY! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER OR ANY OF THE PRODUCTS, MOVIES OR SONGS THAT MAY BE CONTAINED IN THIS CHAPTER! Enjoy! R &R! :D**

 _CHAPTER FIVE:_

 _NORMAL P.O.V_

Thursday night. Maka entered her apartment after a long day at work. Obviously, her living alone, she assumed that when she got home, she would arrive to an empty, dark apartment of silence, correct? NOPE! When she walked into her apartment, she was half-surprised to find her kitchen light on and someone of familiarity laying comfortably on her couch. Of course, you guessed it; it was Soul.

Soul popped up from the couch and looked behind him to look at the woman closing her front door with her foot as she stared right at him. He smirked at the image of the woman he hadn't seen since that Sunday he left. Soul lifted himself off of the couch and bee lined straight for Maka who smirked up at him as she allowed his advancement. He stopped right in front of her, smiling down at her, not saying anything at all. Maka stared back; that is, before her attention was taken away.

Right when Maka was going to open her mouth to ask where he had ran off to this whole time, a ding rang out from her purse. She immediately halted her words and rummaged through her bag. She held her phone in her hand and checked to see who had messaged her. It was Daisuke.

 _Daisuke 6:42pm_

 _"Hey Maka-bear :D"_

Yes, he just called her Maka-bear. Why, you ask? Well, this was her childhood nickname that her mother used to use. Maka had given this little cutesy information to Daisuke in a conversation in exchange for his nickname that he himself has grown accustomed to.

 _'Hey, Dake. How was work today? (:' SEND._

Yes, Dake. Daisuke, in return, told her about the nickname that his baby brother had given him. After his baby brother started calling him that, his nieces and nephews all began to use the nickname as well. After using it so many times, it just kind of grew on him. They used these little nicknames for each other in a way to feel a bit closer with each other.

Maka hadn't really noticed it herself, but as soon as she read the text, a goofy-lookin' smile was etched on her face, which caught Soul's undivided attention. Why was she smiling like that? He had never seen such a smile before. Not from her at least. The smile that Soul once wore disappeared as soon as that text showed up. Instead, he cocked an eyebrow at Maka and waited for her to give him her attention once again.

It took a minute or two, but Maka finally tucked her phone away in her sweater pocket and returned her gaze back to Soul. She didn't expect to see the suspicious look on his face, nor did she understand it.

"You alright?" Soul asked Maka seeing that she was still smiling from before. It was starting to weird him out a little.

"Perfect. Why?" she responded. _What the hell? Why is she in such an oddly good mood? What did that text even say_ , he wondered.

"You're acting kinda strange," Soul pointed out, narrowing his eyes. Maka's eyes shot wide, but then she laughed and shook her head in understanding.

"Oh! Sorry, I'm just talking to this guy that Liz introduced me to. He just texted me," she explained, before pushing past Soul a little to get by him in the small walkway. He granted her the space she required and watched her step out into the living room, placing her things on the table. Soul followed behind her with his hands in his pockets as he slouched back. Maka opened her bag from work and piled out a bunch of newspapers that she had taken from the office laying them down for later.

"Homework?" Soul asked, striking up a conversation. Maka turned to him after neatly placing the newspapers in a safe spot. She had this look of wonder in her eyes as she began to talk.

"More or less. I figured that I should take a look at-." _DING._ Maka's message ringtone cut her off, knocking her off her train of thought. She stopped everything she was doing and turned straight to the phone like she had the first time. Soul crossed his arms in frustration and waited impatiently for her to return her attention back to him. To be honest, it pissed him off a little that she wasn't paying him any attention. I mean, they haven't even seen each other for days now; she could've at least said hi to him, but he didn't even get that from her.

Maka texted something back to Daisuke super fast and placed her phone face up on the table. She turned back to look at Soul, her expression full of excitement. She said nothing. _Um, what?_

"Uh, Maka?" Soul called. She was staring right at him.

"Yes?"

"You were saying?"

"Saying what?"

 _Are you freakin' kidding me,_ Soul thought. She had such a short attention span that she couldn't even remember what she was talking about after that damn Daisuke texted her? This was starting to aggravate Soul and he had no intention of hiding that fact. In fact, he shot her a scowl as he tightened his arms that were crossed over his chest. He clenched his teeth, biting back insults that could've easily escaped him if he wasn't careful. He didn't want to upset Maka, but he couldn't say the same for her.

 _DING._ That goddamn dinging sound again… Maka's face lit up once more as she reached her hand out for her blasted phone, but Soul would have none of it. He snatched the phone right out of her hand before she even got a chance to read the message. _This is ridiculous._

"Hey!" she whined, scowling at the angry, red-eyed man. She tried reaching for her cell phone in his hand, but he only raised his hand higher in the air, completely out of her reach. Even if she were to jump, there was no chance she was getting that phone. Though, she tried anyway.

"Hey yourself! You've been ignoring me this whole time! What gives? This guy your boyfriend or somethin'?!" Soul snapped, sounding just as cold as he used to when they were kids. Maka took note of this and she almost cared for a minute. _Almost._

"So what if he is?! That's none of your business, now gimme back my phone!" she demanded, scowling back at him. A pause… She was right. So _what_ if he is? It's not like it had anything to do with Soul whatsoever. Even if it did, it was her life. She was allowed to talk to whoever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Soul knew this full well.

Grunting in defeat, Soul glared it the floor, handing Maka back her cell phone. She snatched it back, sparing him enough to only shoot another dirty look at him. Maka returned her attention back to her phone, softening her gaze and answering Daisuke back straight away. Finished, she locked her phone and returned her attention to the pouting Soul. He didn't look like he was in the mood to talk to her at all anymore.

Soul turned to the couch and dropped down, exhausted from Maka's attitude changes. One minute she was as happy as ever. The next, she was glarin' him down like a mother who caught her son stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar before dinner. Now, though he made no effort to look at her, he could feel a stern stare. It was like she was asking herself in her mind, 'honestly, what is wrong with that boy?' _DING._ Here we go again…

Maka answered her text after chuckling to herself quietly at what her precious 'Daisuke' had just said to her. When her message was sent, she locked the phone again and swayed back and forth on her heels, humming like some cliché newly wedded wife. Soul finally lifted his still pouty face to look at Maka. The apartment was completely filled with silence, for Maka was too caught up in her daydreams to even spare a single thought for Soul. Soul on the other hand, refused to talk to someone who wouldn't listen, so he didn't even bother trying to strike up another conversation.

Hadn't Maka missed him at all? They were apart for four days; he thought she would be talkin' his ear off. She had no trouble doing it when he was gone for a couple hours, never mind over half a week. Maybe she doesn't really care. That's cool. S'not like he owes her any explanations for anything anyway. His business is his business and vice versa. That in mind, he huffed out a sigh to let out all of the bad energy and relaxed.

 _DING. DING. DING. DING._ The sound of Maka's text message ringtone probably sounded a hundred times before either Maka or Soul had made an attempt to say anything. Soul wasn't sure how much time has passed, but he guessed that it was about ten minutes. Ten minutes of listening to that goddamn ding that he was growing to hate and ten minutes listening to unintelligent giggles from the grown lady, actin' like a damn teenage school girl all over again. Before he could tell her off, she broke the silence out of the blue.

"Soul, I'm gonna order pizza. What do you want on yours?" she asked, still sounding a bit hostile. Probably because she noticed how long he was throwing his little tantrum, not talking to her and all… Soul scoffed.

"Oh look, the princess has taken time out of her oh so busy schedule to talk to a lowly peasant such as myself. I'm honored," Soul spat, sounding unbelievably cold. He hoped it did. Then maybe she'd realize how fucked up she was actin' towards him, ignoring him like that. He wasn't quite sure if he was seeing things or not, but when he looked up at her from the corner of his eye, he swore that he saw a vein bulging out of her forehead. She tightened her jaw and spoke through clenched teeth.

"Just pick a damn topping, dumbass," she said, testily. He huffed.

"Hmph. Spinach and feta…" he grumbled. Maka's face completely softened in the matter of a few seconds. She looked at him wondrously and tilted her head to the side a little. Soul noticed this and coked and eyebrow, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back into the cushiony couch.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just didn't expect you to like that kind of pizza, Mr. I-bathe-in-bacon."

"Hmph! Well 'scuse me for liking spinach and feta on my pizza!" he grumbled. Maka giggled and held her hands up in a surrendering fashion.

"Not judging! I'll make the order," she said, dialing the number with a slight smirk on her face. Seeing her look genuinely happy for the first time since he got there, he couldn't help but smile a little as well, his cold demeanor breaking in an instant.

Maka walked around the apartment, aimlessly as she ordered both their pizzas over the phone. Figured it must've been a habit of hers, since he caught her doin' the same thing that Saturday night when he snuck back in. Her eyes darted around the room as she spoke. Clearly, she's not comfortable talking to strangers over the phone, even if it's just for takeout. After Maka hung up the phone, she sighed wearily and took a place on the couch right next to Soul, their knees brushing against each other accidentally, taking him off guard.

"What's wrong? Your boyfriend go to bed early or something?" Soul asked. This time, he didn't sound so insulting; he sounded like he was generally asking her a question. She knew she could finally speak to him calmly.

"He said he's taking a shower," she answered honestly (though she doubted he needed to know that information). Soul nodded, but Maka was able to tell from his furrowed brows that hearing about Daisuke only peeved him. She brought her legs to her chest and leaned over them, peering at Soul.

"Why do you wanna know? You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're jealous," she teased, though not entirely. She kinda did suspect that he might've been trying to hide a bit of jealousy. Of course, Maka couldn't really understand why, seeing that her and Soul didn't have the kind of relationship where they had to be concerned about each other's relationships with others.

"Jealous? Ha… A cool guy like me? No. I'm angry that we haven't seen each other in four days, yet you ignore my every word when I'm trying to talk to you. It's kind of annoying talking to the walls, ya' know?" he explained. That was reasonable. Nobody likes to be ignored, no matter who it is. She could respect that in the least. Still… Teasing him seemed like a fun idea, given that he had taken plenty of opportunities to tease her the last time they saw each other.

"If you wanted my attention, all you have to do is ask," she whispered cutely, pouting a bit. He shook his head and scoffed again coolly.

"Hmph. Why would I want that?" he retorted, aloofly. Maka leaned back, looking to the ceiling with a grin on her face.

"Oh, so you want me to pay more attention to Daisuke?"

"Do it and I'm eating all of your pizza, tiny-tits." Maka laughed.

"You're such a child."

The two began to laugh together as they gradually floated back into their normal routine of making regular conversations about what they've been up to. Of course, Soul knew he couldn't divulge into the details; Maka did to. However, she still asked and he still answered. Maybe it wasn't much information, but it was the thought that counted.

"So where have you been all this time?" Maka asked, the two of them crossing their legs and facing each other straight on. Soul looked back at her interested stare with droopy eyes and his infamous wide smirk.

"Eh… I just hovered around the outskirts of town for a few days. It was nothin' really special."

"Why, though?" she plunged further. Soul shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, for one thing, there were too many cops on duty in the city. Must've gotten tipped off again, happens all the time. The other thing is that there was someone out there that I had to get into contact with. Had to check on some things," Soul explained. He didn't plan on going any deeper than that; but Maka still asked.

"What for?" Soul shook his head at Maka, signaling that he would say nothing more on the subject. Maka puffed out her cheeks and pouted like a kid who was just told 'no' from their parents after asking to go to Chuck E. Cheese's. Soul grew sympathetic. He knew it must've been frustrating on her part to not know much of what she was getting herself into, but it was for the best that he didn't lend out too much info about himself. If situations had gotten worse and she knew something about him, she could've wound up into trouble as well which was the last thing he wanted.

"How frustrating…" Soul heard Maka whisper to no one in particular.

 _DING. 'I can think of something else that is frustrating as well,'_ Soul thought to himself, hearing that godforsaken text ringtone again.

 _Daisuke 7:59pm_

 _'Whatcha doin'?'_

 _Me 7:59pm_

 _'Catching up with an old high school classmate of mine. You?' SEND._

Maka immediately turned her attention back to Soul, who didn't really seem to care that she was texting her new found friend anymore. As soon as Soul caught her attention, he pretentiously stroke up another conversation with her.

"So what's up with this Daisuke kid? Who is he?" Of course, it was only for the sake of making conversation. Maka tilted her head to the side.

"Huh? Why do you wanna know that?" she asked. Obviously she knew that he didn't actually give a shit. Why would he have asked in the first place then? Soul shrugged his shoulders, still strutting that pretentious look on his face, not looking her directly in the eye.

"I don't know. You just make these weird faces every time you read one of his texts, so I'm curious" he pointed out. That much was the truth. She had these giddy facial expressions as she read one of his texts. It was like she got her most wanted gift on Christmas or something. Maybe he just doesn't know as much about Maka as he thinks he does… Maka shrugged her shoulders and stared off into blank space.

"Liz introduced us over the internet on Sunday. We exchanged numbers and I don't know. We've been talking every day since then," she spoke in a daze. She grew bashful and truth be told, seeing her like this made him a little envious of Daisuke. He wouldn't admit that to himself though; he was too cool for that. _'What'll happen if they actually hit it off?'_ he thought. He knew that if this relationship carried on the way it was, he'd have to disappear. For his and Maka's sake, but mainly for her own. He mind carried to even more extreme thoughts. What if he were to show up next time, only to find the two of them together. Maka'd be wearing nothing but Daisuke's shirt, cooking in the kitchen like she usually does. Daisuke would hold her from behind, kissing her neck, earning a giggle from her. How would that've made him feel? He doesn't know, but he knew one thing for sure; it would definitely suck. He was just starting to like having her around, too…

"Just be careful," he whispered. "You don't know if this guy's a creep or not, know what I mean?" He smirked, looking a bit disappointed. Maka didn't notice, but Soul knew he was doing a horrible job at trying to hide his distain and worry. Maka shook her head and giggled at the irony.

"Oh, you mean like you?" she made fun. Soul finally snapped out of his serious mood. Good, it doesn't suit him.

"I am not a creeper!" he defended.

"Says the man who climbed through my window in the middle of the night and hit on me before he even knew who I was." Soul leaned back and cockily buffing his nails on his shirt.

"What can I say? I'm a charmer." Maka snorted.

"More like a bad luck charm," she grumbled jokingly.

 _KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. 'That has to be the pizza guy.'_ Maka groaned, not wanting to get up from her comfy seat. She looked at Soul pleadingly.

"Ugghhhh, can you get that?" she stupidly asked. Soul glared at her like she just lost all her brain cells in one quick second.

"…are you sure you wanna do that?" he hinted. Oh yeah, sure, let the man on the run get the door for Maka. That's a great idea, don't you think… no. Maka's eyes widened for a second in realization, but then she rubbed her face with her palms, groaning loudly. She heaved herself up off the couch and glared at Soul.

"Oh yeah… Damnit, screw you for being a convict… asshole," she grumbled quietly so the pizza guy wouldn't hear from the other side of the door.

"Psh… like it's my fault," Soul retorted. Maka answered the door unwillingly and took the pizza from the man. He gave her a receipt, she signed, yadda yadda yadda… She closed the door, locking it behind her and handed Soul is box of pizza.

"Cool, thanks," he said, accepting his box. That was the cool thing about Soul. Even though he could be a jerk, he still had manners. She smiled and sat right next to Soul, both their legs crosses, knees touching. Neither of them flinched or moved further away; they only sat their comfortably checking out their pizza boxes. Maka opened hers; Chicken Alfredo pizza. YUM! Soul looked over at her pizza and squinted his eyes.

"What's that? It looks goopy," he asked, pointing at the alfredo sauce.

"It's a Chicken Alfredo pizza. That's alfredo sauce. Ever try it?" she asked. Soul took a sloppy bite of his hot slice on spinach feta, the cheese and toppings sliding right off from the heat. He finished gulping down his slice and shook his head. Maka separated a slice and handed it to Soul.

"Mine isn't too hot. Try it, it's really good," she insisted. He took the slice and sniffed the pizza. Smelled good. He took the smallest bite of the pizza that the world has ever seen (picture Squidward from that Spongebob episode when Spongebob had him try his first ever Krabby Patty… yeah, even Maka laughed at the sight in front of her since he looked his ridiculously stupid). He gulped down the baby bite and nodded his head in approval. He took a much larger bite and experienced the tasty goodness of the chicken blended with the cheese and alfredo sauce. _Exceptional._

"Told ya'," Maka gloated. She rose up from her seat and waltzed on over to the fridge. She opened it and grabbed two sodas for the both of them. She took her place next to Soul once more and handed him the soda. She grabbed the TV remote next to her on the couch and flipped on the TV. She flipped through each channel, but nothing popped out at her.

"Anything good on?" Soul asked, blowing on his second slice of pizza.

"Nope, boring as usual. Let's just order a movie," she recommended. Soul nodded in approval when he got an idea.

"Oh, you know what? We should watch a classic. You know, for the good old times!" he offered. Maka approved. Watching movies from her childhood was always something she loved to do.

"Hmm, like what?" she asked. Soul shrugged his shoulders and looked on with her as she searched for movies.

"Let's see what they got."

Each saw movies that were potential candidates, but Maka was paying for the movie after all, so they had to agree on one movie. Eventually the decided to watch a Studio Ghibli movie; those ones were always good. **(A/N: Do I have any Studio Ghibli fans out there?! C'mooooon! Those are classics! Honestly, lately I have been marathoning the movies over vacation and it brought back such happy memories! I still have my 'Kiki's Delivery Service' movie and I used to watch it all the time in middle school just for old time's sake! I even watched 'Laputa: Castle in the Sky' every day when I was in daycare as a child! Okay, if I keep talking, I won't be able to stop. On with the story! Oh, and review if you know what I'm talking about in these next few scenes (; )** The two agreed to watch 'Spirited Away' after arguing over which Studio Ghibli movie was the best out of all of them.

Maka paid for the movie and Soul shut off all the lights in the apartment, preparing to relive their childhood. Both were excited to rewatch the movie that they had watch countless times as little tots. The beginning scene played out.

 _'Chihiro, don't cling to me like that, you'll make me trip.'_

"Wow, that's nice. Force your little 10 year old girl to walk through a creepy ass tunnel by herself without help. Parenting 101,"Soul commented. Maka laughed at him, and nodded her head in agreement. They commented like that throughout the whole movie; you know, like you usually would when you watch a kid's movie as an adult. You start to notice things you didn't notice as a child and the movie becomes so ridiculous to you, it's laughable.

* * *

 _'We're gonna get in trouble! We should go!'_

"Who'da thought a little girl would be smarter about not taking things that don't belong to her than her own parents…" Maka whispered. So far, the comments were all about the parenting skills of Chihiro's parents. Even 23 year old Maka was more mature than this old 40-something year olds. The couple laughed.

"No kidding! Even the mother's pigging out! No puns intended…" he agreed.

* * *

 _'Cross the river! I'll hold them off!' Haku blows flower petals towards the bridge._

"You know, I never understood what that was supposed to accomplish," Soul tilted his head, shoving a slice of pizza in his mouth. Maka shrugged her shoulders.

"It didn't really slow anything down, but maybe he put a spell on the bridge? I'm not really sure either."

* * *

 _'How do you know my name?'_

 _'I've known you since you were very small…'_

"Aww…" Maka said before popping a piece of chicken in her mouth. Soul cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What are you 'aww'ing about? All he said was that he's known her for a while," he questioned. Obviously Soul didn't remember the ending of the movie… But how could Maka forget? She always thought it was so touching. She smiled knowingly.

"You'll see what I'm talking about once we get further into the movie. I can't believe you don't remember, you doofus. How could you forget something like this?" She softly flicked his forehead, making him go cross-eyed for a split second. He scrunched up his eyebrows and did the same, but a little harder. They both continued flicking each other until the two of them called truce.

* * *

 _'I said… COME. IN.' Yubaba flicks her wrist and had Chihiro flying through the hallways to her quarters._

"HAHA! She looks like Bubbles the monkey from Dragon Ball Z!" Soul laughed at the look on Chihiro's face. Maka pinched his nose gently and scowled at him.

"She's a little girl, you asshole! Don't poke fun!" she scolded, sympathetic to Chihiro's fake being. Soul broke free from her grip and put her in a headlock, roughing up her hair.

"AAAHHHH! Alright, alright! No more!"

* * *

 _'Please, I just wanna work!'_

 _'DON'T SAAAYY THAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!'_

"Oh god, Yubaba's ugly," Soul insulted. Maka looked on, watching the TV. She heard him, but she didn't even bother scolding him, because she always hated Yubaba. Even as a child. She deserved every harsh word she got.

"No comment?" Soul asked, expecting Maka was going to pinch him again. Maka looked up at him blankly.

"Huh?" she asked, not paying full attention to Soul. He laughed and shoved one of her slices of pizza in her slightly parted mouth.

"SOUL!"

* * *

 _'Haku I… umm…'_

 _'Don't talk to me. And address me as 'Master Haku'.'_

Maka pouted and slowly chewed her bitten pizza. Soul rubbed his aching cheek and ate his last slice of pizza, washing it down with his diet Coke.

"Aww, don't be so cold, Haku," Maka spoke to the TV, bottom lip quivering.

* * *

 _Chihiro spots No-Face on the bridge where Haku was supposed to meet her._

"NO-FACE!" Maka shouted with glee. She leaned close to the TV, eyes glimmering with love and admiration. Soul laughed and nodded knowingly. He liked No-Face as a child; I mean, c'mon. He's like the face of 'Spirited Away'… hmm… Ironic, ain't it?

"Yeah, not gonna lie, No-Face is badass," Soul commented, smirking as he too admired No-Face. Maka shook her head exaggeratedly.

"Not only that! He's so freakin' adorable!" she cooed.

"The hell? He's like a big black amphibian with a mask for a face. How is that cute?" Maka glared at Soul. He held up his hands and sat back into the couch, her following in suit. Maka brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly with excitement as she sipped her Coke.

* * *

The movie continued and their comments began to grow more hilarious, the deeper the story went in. Maka was wiping tears from her eyes as she laughed and Soul was holding his stomach as a deep throaty laugh pierced through the air. Soul mainly liked to poke fun at Yubaba, while Maka liked to poke fun at her temper-tantrum throwing baby and minions. Soul especially favored the 'Stink Spirit' scene, laughing uncontrollably as Maka cringed.

 _'OH, it's money. Sen, take the kind man's money.'_

 _'YES MA'AM.'_

"AHAHAHAHA! LOOK AT YUBABA'S FACE! Oh gosh, that is priceless!"

"Ick! I can smell the stink through the TV. Gross! Yubaba should be the one dealing with the stink spirit! Poor Sen," Maka sympathized. Soul once again cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Why are you calling her Sen? Just call her Chihiro, you weirdo. Sen isn't actually her name," he scoffed in a 'duh' tone. Maka glared. PINCH.

"Oww, what the hell, Maka!" he snapped, rubbed his arm in pain.

"She's known as Sen in the movie right now, dummy! Leave me alone!" she defended. The two of them looked at each other for a minute before erupting into laughter again.

* * *

 _'Ah… Ah,' No-Face urges Chihiro (known as Sen; have to say or else Maka would get upset) to take the gold._

 _'I don't want any…'_

"Ugh! I can't take how unbelievably adorable he is!"

"WHAT?! Look at the size of him! He's got a gut the size of the DWMA. Including the stairs!" Soul pointed his finger at the TV while he spoke. Maka pulled his arm down.

"Leave No-Face alone! He doesn't know any better!"

"Psh, whatever you say, Maka."

* * *

 _'What's going on here?'_

 _'Something you wouldn't recognize. It's called 'love'.'_

"The hell? What is Boiler Man talking about? Their like ten years old, how can they love each other?" Soul grumbled, sipping the last of his Coke and crushing the can. Maka glared.

"Love isn't about age, Soul!" Soul's eyebrows formed a 'v' formation as he leaned back away from Maka.

"So you're okay with an 11 year old fuckin' a 42 year old?" he asked, scenario-wise. Maka gasped and started hitting on his chest. It didn't hurt though. It was like a mosquito bite to him. He laughed at her attempt to hurt him for the hundredth time in the past hour and a half.

"THAT'S NOT EVEN REMOTELY THE SAME!" she exclaimed, still pounding on his chest.

* * *

 _'I knew you were good!'_

"AWWWWWWWWW!" Maka's voice quivered as the tears streamed down her face. Yup, leave it up to Maka to break down over a kid's movie. Soul watched her as she smiled happily, squealing and crying all at the same time. He didn't bother saying anything, he only continued watching the touching scene between Chihiro and Haku as they floated in the air, hand fingers entwined and foreheads pressed together, lovingly.

Maka threw herself into Soul's chest, hugging him from all the emotions flowing through her. She gave him a squeeze and cuddled into his chest, uncontrollably. It caught Soul off guard and his cheeks began to heat up, but after watching her squeeze him tighter, his gaze softened and he patted her head in response. _'She such a child sometimes,'_ Soul thought to himself. He remained still, afraid that if he were to move the slightest bit, she might let go.

* * *

 _'Chihiro! Hurry up, I don't want to miss the movers!'_

"Hmph. Too late for that," Maka grumbled, her head still laid on Soul's chest as she hugged onto him. He wasn't sure if she noticed, but he didn't comment on it.

"Dude, are we just gonna ignore the fact that they were letting this little girl who's barely even in her double digits to roam around a weird area all by herself? It's like they don't even care," Soul pointed out. Maka nodded her head and snuggled her face into his shirt, rubbing her cold nose on his warm, heated shirt. _So that's what it was. She's cold._ Soul wrapped an arm around her to warm her up. Maka was a bit flustered at first and tried to move, but she stopped herself, feeling colder when she left his body. She snuggled into his body again, addicted to the warmth. Soul didn't notice himself, but a smile was creeping up onto his face at her cuteness. It was like she was a little puppy, snuggling up to its master. Adorable.

* * *

 _ENDING CREDITS…_

The movie ended and the ending credits started to roll. Both of them sighed out of content. They hadn't watch that movie in ages and now that they watched it as adults, they loved it even more. Even if it was simply for the humor of the whole thing.

 _DING._ Maka's phone dinged in her sweater pocket, so she dug it out only to find a bunch of messages from Daisuke. She had forgotten all about him in the excitement. She jolted right up off of Soul and unlocked her phone swiftly.

"What's up?" Soul asked, feeling her warmth remove itself from his chest. He looked at her from out of the corner of his eye and saw a horrified look on her face.

"Oh, I forgot about Daisuke! He's been texting me this whole time!" she exclaimed, worriedly. Soul rolled his eyes behind his lids and sat up from the couch.

"Who cares? He should understand." Maka looked at Soul and he stared back at her. They didn't say anything for a second or two. They only looked at each other. Maka, wearing a look of unsureness; Soul, wearing a look of assurance. Eventually, she took his word for it and smirked.

"Yeah, you're right. Though it's getting late. I should get to bed soon," she announced, rising from her seat next to Soul and taking her trash with her to the kitchen. She threw away the empty can and set the pizza box containing only three slices of pizza on the counter for later.

"Oh, that's right. Work in the morning," he said, laying back down on the couch, paying attention to the ceiling.

"Yeah. Will I see you then?" Maka asked, stopping in the middle of the living room. A silent pause. Soul looked to the side where Maka stood and she wore a look of hope. He eventually broke down. He never actually planned to leave before saying goodbye. He never knew when his last goodbye would be after all.

"Yeah, I'll be here. G'Night," he confirmed. Maka sighed and grinned.

"Mmm… Night." She turned on her heels, grabbed her purse and returned to her room, closing her door slightly like she always does. Maka sets her things down by her bed and sit on it tiredly for a minute as she stared off into space again for what seemed like the millionth time today.

 _'That was fun. I never thought I'd have a bonding session with Soul like that, but after all was said and done, it wasn't so bad.'_ Maka hummed to herself and lifted herself off the bed. She began to undress all the way down to her bra and panties. She rummaged through her dresser drawers for a shirt to wear to bed, but she was fresh out of oversized shirts to wear. She had to remind herself to do the laundry tomorrow. As a substitute, she pulled out one of her longer shirts and figured that she'd dress properly before leaving the room in the morning. As she threw the shirt over her head to change, her bedroom dor creaked open and there was Soul.

"I forgot to ask, M-," he began, stopping midsentence when he realized Maka's state of dress. Maka quickly pulled her shirt down to cover her chest and blushed.

"What the hell, Soul! Knock next time, would ya'?!" she scolded. Maka tried to stretch out the bottom of her shirt so it would cover her panties, but it was no use. The shirt wasn't long enough. She squirmed around, trying her best to hide herself in front of Soul, but she only gave him a better view by doing so. His eyes analyzed her for a minute. Her hair was long and wavy, her blush was flaring and her green eyes were darting around to avoid his gaze. He smirked. _'She's really too cute for her own good sometimes,'_ he thought.

"Sorry, sorry, I was gonna ask if I could borrow a cig and a light." Maka nodded and quickly tried to finish the process so he could get out of her room. She bent over to her purse next to her bed and searched through it for her pack of cigarettes and her lighter. While she did that, Soul was enjoying the view from behind. Since Maka stretched out her shirt a little, she was able to cover herself up slightly, but he still a good, clear view of her plump, round ass, clothed by a little lacey piece of fabric. It was a naughty thing for her to do, bending over in front of a guy like that in her state of dress. She had to be punished for it and Soul had just the thing.

Maka found what she was looking for and got up, turning around. There was Soul, closer than ever right in front of her, smirking devilishly. He was dead silent as he inched closer to her, their bodies nearly touching and their lips only a hair apart. She had no idea what he was going to do or what she should've done in this situation, so she stayed completely silent and completely still. She gulped down her spit as his darkening red eyes penetrated her own. Soul moved suddenly, making Maka squeeze her eyes shut. He ran a light hand down her arm, down to the hand that held the pack of cigarettes and the lighter. Maka's breathing become jagged, for she had no idea how to react or what to feel about any of this. This made Soul smile a toothy grin which made her shudder silently.

Soul's hand traveled down to her fingertips and he clasped their hands together gently intertwining their fingers in a loving fashion. At this, Maka's eyes widened, but the look in Soul's eyes were far from innocent. They violated her being, like they were looking deep inside her soul, reading every reaction carefully and storing the information in his brain for later use. She tried remaining completely emotionless, but there was no use. She was like an open book. Soul's hand squeezed hers, his eyes squinted as if testing her to see if she will falter. She held her breath and stared into Soul's eyes daringly as if she were telling him that he wasn't going to get the better of her. Soul snaked an arm around her back and pulled her close to him. He moved in closer, slightly closing his eyes like he was going to kiss her… and she thought he really was. Her eyes began to close out of fear, worry and habit. When a few seconds past and she felt nothing, she opened her eyes.

Soul was grinning like a demon and he released her. Soul slid the pack and the lighter out of her hand, making sure that she felt every inch of his touch on her hand. He distanced himself from her, still smiling and looked at her cockily as if he succeeded in making her succumb to him… which… she admittedly agrees with.

"Thanks," he whispered in her ear, his lips brushing against her earlobe. She shivered and watched him leave the room, closing the door behind him. For a long time, she stood there, staring at the door, still breathless. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. What had just happened? She was completely paralyzed from head to toe, remembering that dark, deep look in his eyes. Like he was hungry for her. Like he yearned for her. Like he was dominating every part of her. It was intense.

 _DING._ The sound of Maka's text ringtone snapped her out of her trance and she shook her head. She unlocked her phone and read the text. Of course, it was from Daisuke.

 _Daisuke 9:22pm_

 _'You going to sleep?'_

 _Me 9:22pm_

 _'Yeah, tomorrow's gonna be a long day at the office. Goodnight Dake (:'_

 _DING._

 _Daisuke 9:23pm_

 _'Goodnight, beautiful (;'_

Maka locked her phone after that, but surprisingly, that text didn't make her smile for the reasons she thought it did. She believed that she smiled because Daisuke was the one who called her beautiful and he made her feel good about herself. In all actuality, she was really happy because she remembered that Soul was the one who called her beautiful. That first night he came… The second night he came… He always gave her some kind of nickname, but whenever she heard that word, her mind immediately trailed off to Soul on their first encounter after 7 years. Now _that_ was a night…

* * *

THE NEXT MORNING:

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

The morning after our little movie night, I woke up early in the morning to the smell of smoke again. _Maka must be smoking again… I'd better leave her alone in that case._ I also didn't feel like getting up just yet, so to kill my curiosity, I opened one of my eyes and proved my suspicions right. There was Maka, a cigarette balanced between her middle and index finger, looking out over the city as the morning sun rose over Death City. Her expression was distant; unreadable. I liked that about her. Yeah, I mean, I don't condone her smoking because I don't really think she's cut out for it no matter how much she's done it in the past, but you got to admit; she's pretty freakin' deep when she looks like this.

I closed my eye and attempted to return back to sleep, but my body wouldn't allow it. _Damnit. I needed more sleep too…_ I knew that trying to fight my body's urge to stay awake wasn't gonna get me anywhere, but I kept pushing myself. Try as I might, it wasn't happenin'.

I heard Maka sigh, a strong smell of smoke following the sound. Then, the sound of her footsteps pitter pattering all over the wooden floor was heard.

"Morning, Soul," she greeted in her raspy morning voice. Maybe because she just finished another smoke session? I relented and finally sat up, groaning from my interrupted slumber. I slouched over and rubbed my eyes tiredly.

"Mornin'. How long have you been up?" I asked. I cracked my eyes open and looked to the space where Maka's voice came from. She was standing in the middle of the living room, now dressed in the t-shirt she wore to bed and a pair of gym shorts. She was standing kind of awkwardly, holding one of her arms behind her back as she looked to the floor instead of me.

"I'm not really sure. Not for too long though. Anyways, any requests for breakfast? I've got bread, eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes…" she trailed off. She was definitely acting strange. It's not just me, right? You guys think so too? I cleared my throat.

"I'm fine with whatever you're having. No need to go out of your way," I said. She shook her head, still refusing to look me in the eye. _Huh… What gives?_

"It's really no trouble at all, but if you insist… French toast it is!" she announced, bee-lining straight for the kitchen. _What's her problem?_ I looked closely at her and Maka's original, unreadable expression was beginning to falter. She was hiding something, but a few minutes of silence was all it took. She'd break eventually. I continued to stare her down; that would usually work. Of course, it did. A faint blush was starting to creep on the little vixen's face.

 _Theeeeerrre it is… I know what this is all about now. She's embarrassed. Knowing her, she's probably embarrassed about last night. Like I told you, she can be such a child about this kind of stuff._ Last night was a pretty good night for me. Got to eat a box of pizza, watching 'Spirited Away', cuddling up with Maka, seeing Maka's panties, making Maka blush; it was a perfect night if you ask me. That just wasn't enough though. Might as well make it a perfect morning, right? And what's a perfect morning without makin' Maka squirm? I smiled.

"What time do you have to be at work by?" I asked.

"Eight. It's almost seven now," she answered. Still not looking. _I've got somethin'…_

"Well, I'll just hop in the shower real quick in that case." Maka nodded. Purposefully forgetting my clothes, I took one last glance at Maka before going into the bathroom for my shower. Hey, I got to see her half naked. It's only fair, _riiiiight?_

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

Alright, alright, I'll admit it! I'm nervous! I'm nervous around Soul and his stupid, grinning face! I can't even look the bastard in the eyes; not after last night. That look he gave me was just so… dominating. It was like he was trying to take control of me. I know, I know, it's stupid, but… if you saw the kind of look he gave me; that sexy, dangerous, devilish look, you would've felt the same way. I mean, who wouldn't?! _Alright, calm down Maka… don't blow these things out of proportion. He was just teasing like he always does; there's no need to get so worked up about it._

I took a deep breath when Soul left the room for the first time since he woke up. Ever since last night, I've been a lot more aware of when he's looking at me or how he's looking at me. There was plenty of a demonstration last night, you can understand that. Come to think of it, I probably wasn't doing a pretty good job of masking my bashfulness. Soul may be a jerk, but he's no idiot. _Well, what can I do about it? Woman up, woman! Stop acting like a giggling teenage girl with a crush!_

 _DING. Thank God…_ I flipped my last piece of French toast and let it golden. _Done. DING. Again, with that stupid 2 minute text message feature… Ah well, I better answer him._ Surely, you could guess who texted me. I scurried over to my phone that I left on the windowsill and I sat on my speaker to read the message.

 _Daisuke 7:01am 2 minutes ago:_

 _'Good morning, beautiful (:'_

I tried to hold back a squeal of giddiness. Maybe I was acting like a giggling teenage girl with a crush in more ways than one. In more cases than one.

 _Me 7:01am_

 _'Good morning (: You're so sweet' SEND._

I sent the text message and locked my phone. As soon as I turn around, guess what I saw sitting not even a foot away from me. Did you guess a naked Soul? Because if you did, YOU'D BE DAMN RIGHT. There the pervert was, dressed only in a white, fluffy towel around his waist, water dripping down his… muscular… manly… scarred… AHEM, chest. Wait, scar? I looked again to make sure I wasn't seeing things and yeah, my suspicions were absolutely right. A huge scar stretching from one of his shoulders to his hip sliced into his abs, looking quite painful and deep. _I wonder what his story is. Should I ask, or would that be too rude? Soul is such a mysterious person… WAIT! HE CAN'T BE OUT HERE DRESSED LIKE THAT!_

"S-Soul! What are you doing without any clothes on?!" I stammered. Soul was searching for something in his bag; probably his clothes. But why did his bag have to be so dangerously close to me? The half-naked man turned his head an inch to look at me from the corner of his eye. He was smirking!

"Getting my clothes from my bag. I forgot to bring 'em in the bathroom with me," he said, coolly. _Yeah, I can see that, but one can only wonder if you actually did this on purpose just to get at me. Knowing you, you probably WOULD do something like that, wouldn't you, you pervert?_ I had pretty much made up my mind that he was just doing these kinds of things to get a reaction out of me, but how could it have been helped? I still stared at him with widened eyes and a faint blush decorating my cheeks. I said nothing, hoping that if I didn't, he'd get out of here quicker so he could change. My hopes didn't become a reality because the lecher abandoned his bag and stood right up in front of my face with the same devilish look in his eyes that he wore last night, paired with his infamous 'Soul Eater' grin. The heat from his hot, wet chest emitted, making me feel his warmth from the close proximity. To keep from admiring his toned body, I whipped my head away to look at nothing particular in the distance. As long as he wasn't in my line of vision, I was fine. I'd stare at a wall all day if I had to. Anything to keep from blushing and contaminating my mind.

"What? I saw you half-naked already." I gasped as he reminded me of the events from last night. Thankfully, Daisuke came to the rescue just in time. Before either of us could dig further into the unclean conversation, a ding rang out from my cell phone. _DING._ Soul sucked his teeth, probably noticing his name popping up on the lock screen.

 _Daisuke 7:03am_

 _'Only speaking the truth (; What's for breakfast today?'_

"Hmph. You should get used to seeing guys half-naked if you insist on getting' any closer to that guy you're talkin' to," Soul muttered. I removed my attention from my phone, turning back to Soul with a slightly confused expression. Daisuke wasn't like that, what on Earth was he talking about?

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a big girl, you know what I'm talking about." His voice sounded teasing, but he wore a contrasting scowl. Then, he sighed exasperatedly, as if losing interest in the conversation. He stood up from his crouching position and stretched, grabbing his clothes.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go get dressed… That is, unless you wanna stare a little longer. In that case, we can take this into the other room and I'll show you all you want," he purred into my ear as he inched closer. This was looking like a rerun of last night. His fingertips brushed my chin lightly and his lips grazed the tip of my ear. His scarred chest just centimeters away from mine. I gulped and looked away.

"S-Stop teasing me…" I whispered desperately clinging to what little self-composure I had. He hummed in my ear, causing me to tremble irrepressibly.

"Hmm… Am I making you nervous?" he asked in a deep tone. _Keep calm, Maka._

"S-Soul." I tried to be as stern as possible, but my weak voice wasn't all that convincing, not even to me. Nevertheless, he gave me a throaty chuckle and returned to the bathroom as if nothing happened. I took a few deep breaths to calm my beating heart.

"Ugh… now I remember why I used to hate 'im."

* * *

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

Alright, so yeah, my plan worked. I got what I wanted and _man_ was it worth it… So now, I was all dressed in a plain black shirt and blue jeans. I threw on a grey hoodie and zipped up my duffel bag. It was time for me to part ways with Maka. Don't worry, I wasn't planning on never seeing her again; I just didn't know when I would see her next. Times can get difficult, you know.

Anyway, Maka had gotten out of her shower a while ago and she was finishing her makeup or whatever in the bathroom. Seeing how she got so upset with me for leaving without saying goodbye, I thought I'd let 'er know I was gonna head out. When I walked up to the bathroom door to inform Maka, I stopped in my tracks from the scene in front of me. _You have got to be kidding me…_

There Maka was in the bathroom, touching up her makeup over the sink. Now, when I say she was over the sink, I mean she was OVER the sink. We're talkin' ass out, back arched, eyelids half shut, lips parted in concentration. Yeah, you're picturing it right. The little vixen was wearing a tight black pencil skirt, black nylon tights… wait… no way, are those stockings? Correction: the little vixen was wearing thigh high stockings. Then, she was wearing a white button up blouse and a pair of high black high heels. Maka's long hair cascaded down her back in blonde waves and I even took a peek at her makeup. Not too shabby. The natural makeup made her green eyes pop with color and made her look even more innocent, despite her choice in uniform.

 _Is this girl TRYING to get laid? Who dresses like this to go to work? If their trying to sleep their way to the top by fuckin' their bosses then yeah, maybe, but Maka isn't like that._ Maka leaned over the sink more, her skirt rising up in the back. I shook my head at her naivety. _She's sexy as hell and she doesn't even realize it. Unbelievable. She had better be careful while I'm gone. Why do I have a feeling that I should be checking up on her every now and then? Leaving her alone when she's like this just doesn't sit right with me… As odd as it is._

Maka eventually straightened herself when she was happy with the results of her makeup. She turned around and gasped, noticing that I had been leaning against the doorway this whole time. Must've been embarrassed all bent over and stuff, but I didn't mind. Hell, she can do that around me all she likes. I won't complain.

"I'm heading off."

"A-Alright, I'm about to leave soon as well. I'll walk you out," she said. She walked past me, swaying her hips as she walks. Of course, me being a man, I watched her the whole time. Hey, don't judge me. I don't care who you are, if you were in my shoes, you would've done the same thing. Maka may have been a big nerdy goody-two-shoes as a child, but she sure didn't show it. Anyway, I'm getting off topic again.

Maka and I walked out to the living room, to my special little escape window. I looked out of the window to check if the coast was clear. Wouldn't want any lurkers. The street looked to be not very busy at the moment, so I needed to move quickly before somebody passed by.

"Are you gonna come back again?" Maka asked. I smirked and turned back to her. She looked a little worried, if not sad.

"Do you want me to come back?" I joked. She took me seriously though, looking away and darting her eyes to avoid mine.

"U-Uh, well, you see…" she started and trailed off. I saved her the trouble and answered truthfully.

"Honestly, I dunno. I could return next week, next month or probably not at all. Depends on how things go while I'm out there."

"Oh, I see," she said, sounding dejected. When I looked at her once more, she was frowning. Now, I'm not sure if she noticed she was doing it, but it kinda touched me in a way. It at least showed that she cared a little bit which was more than enough. We might not always get along, but at the end of the day, she's always been there which meant the world to me. That's all I have to live off seeing how everyone else had given up on me a long time ago. Even my family. I had no one, but at least there was Maka. All this had been realized in just one frown. _Damnit Maka, don't do this to me._

"Ha, don't look so sad, dollface. It'll only make me wanna stay." Maka had an unbelievable look on her face now. Outraged almost.

"A-As if I'm sad! Hmph, you're so conceited," she said. _Ha, denial. Her ultimate defense mechanism for evading the truth. Great, Maka. Now I've got you all figured out._ I laughed out.

"Well when you're a cool guy like me, you get the luxury of knowing it. Well, I'm off. Don't miss me too much. Daisuke wouldn't like that…" I got quiet at the end. My own words made me sick. I didn't want to bring _that guy_ up again. I'm sure Maka couldn't tell my aggravation with my own words, but believe me, the frustration was real.

"Hm. Yeah," she answered plainly. She didn't seem very focused. Well we would just have to change that. Can't have her forgetting about me, can we? _I'll give her something to remember._ Before my departure, I leaned in when she wasn't looking and I planted a gentle kiss on her cheek and jumped out of the window with my bag before she could protest. When I jumped down to the concrete, I took one last look at Maka by the window. She looked stunned, her eyes wide, her lips parted. She shook her head, grasping onto reality and she closed the window.

 _You'd better not forget about me, Maka. I'll be keepin' my eye on you. Who am I kiddin'? After that, I'll be all she can think about if I know her anything about her at all._ I grinned in content and darted in between two buildings, disappearing in the shadows of the alleyways.

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

 _Daisuke 7:43am_

 _'We should meet up some time. You free on Saturday?'_

 _Me 7:44am_

 _'Yeah, always. That sounds great. How about we meet up in the park across the street from the library at 1?' SEND._

I was walking on my way to work, texting Daisuke about a date. We had never met up in person before, so I'll admit that I was a little shy. But at some point, I had to realize that I was a grown woman and I had to get over myself. _DING._

 _Daisuke 7:46am_

 _'That sounds perfect. It's a date then (; In the meantime, get to work Ms. Albarn!'_

 _Me 7:47_

 _'XD Alright, haha. I'll talk to you later, Dake.' SEND._

 _DING._

 _Daisuke 7:47am_

 _'You too, Maka-bear.'_

I locked my phone, feeling especially in a good mood. Oh, and while I'm walking to Death Bucks to stop and get a coffee before work, let's talk a little about what happened this morning. So yes, when I saw Soul off before leaving for work, he kissed me on the cheek. How do I feel about that? Honestly, if you're asking me, my answer is 'I don't know'. When he kissed me, my heart skipped a beat which has never really happened between Soul and I before. I sat there for a minute after the kiss, trying to process just what in the hell was wrong with me. Usually if it were anybody else, I would've Maka-chopped the hell out of them all while screaming their head off, but with Soul, it was different. I felt warm. I felt like I was shocked by lightning only instead of pain, it brought this feeling in my chest as if it were swelling up inside. Has this ever happened to me before? No. Not even with my ex-boyfriend. I never had this tight feeling in my chest like this… It was all very new to me and I tried my best to forget about it, but I doubt it's gonna go away that easily.

I approached Death Bucks and enter the coffee shop with a jangle. I went up to the counter and ordered an iced coffee, paid for it, you know; the whole bit. The lady hurried off to fetch my coffee and while I waited, I drew my attention to the small TV above in the corner of the shop. Right off the bat, something alarming caught my attention and I leaned in closer to get a better listen on what the news reporter was saying. 'MULTIPLE THEFTS IN SHOPPING DISTRICT' was headlined on under the announcers face.

 _'Last night, a lone robber marked three shops in the shopping district of Death City as his next target. The employees say they along with the other customers in the store were threatened and held at gun-point as they were demanded by a light color haired man and abnormal red colored eyes to hand over every valuable thing they owned. Police are reviewing the video footage in the targeted shops to identify the thief. Police say that they have reason to believe that wanted criminal, Soul Evans is behind these recent thefts in the area, given the description. They ask that if anyone may have any valuable information for this case, please report it immediately…'_

"Do you really think Soul Evans is back?" one the employees asked their colleagues. The woman nodded immediately, though she didn't know the actual truth that I did.

"Of course! Who else would've been causing trouble all around the city. It has to be that no good Evans boy!" the woman exclaimed. _Uh, not Soul. It couldn't have been. He was with me all last night, so how could he have robbed these stores? It had to have been somebody else… but with the description those hostages gave out, who else would they have expected? Who else could it have been? Is someone trying to frame Soul?_

All these questions were bouncing around in my mind. The whole thing was a big load of crap! How could they just assume it was Soul like that? Their paranoia really knew no bounds…

"Ma'am, your coffee," the lady handed me my medium sized cup of coffee. I thanked her and exited, coffee in hand. _Someone needs to figure this thing out because this case is getting out of hand. It's like the police are obsessed with finding Soul. Something smells fishy here… There is something they're not telling us and I wanna know what._

* * *

 _ **'FAMOUS PIANIST GOES DARK'**_

 ** _'ONCE GREAT EVANS CONDUCTS BANK ROBBERY'_**

 ** _'MATTHEWS AND EVANS VS. EVANS'_**

 ** _'SOUL EATER ON THE RUN'_**

 ****I had to have gone through countless articles involving Soul's charges and the incident that caused him to go into hiding, but they all vaguely picked at the topic. After I finished all of my independent work for the day, I scoured through newspaper article after newspaper article, trashed and published to research a bit of information about the Evans case. Nothing had what I needed, but I'll share what little information I have found with you for the sake of us being on the same page here.

The first article I read was 'FAMOUS PIANIST GOES DARK'. At first, it began to explain how Soul came from a wealthy family of musicians. He was an aspiring pianist who was rising up to fame around the time this incident happened, ruining his career the moment it released to the public. The further it got into the article, the reporter was touching around the topic of how Soul came to 'go dark' as the writer would say. Apparently, his parents were pressing charges against their son for violating his brother, famous violin player, Wes Evans and his soon-to-be wife, Julia Matthews. The writer didn't go into detail of how he violated the two of them, but the reporter _did_ include some very nasty comments that his parents had offered to them.

 _'Soul is an utter disappointment and we are ashamed to call this disgusting human being our son,'_ Soul's father commented. I mean, who says that about their own son?! If anyone's a disgusting human being, it's Soul's father! Then get a load of what his mother said!

 _'My youngest son is to be put behind bars. Not only has he disrespected my eldest son and his fiancé, but he has disrespected our family, Julia's family and all of our family's supporters. For that, I can no longer tolerate his walking freely,'_ Soul's mother said. So, let me get this straight, Soul was raised by not only a (pardon my French) sick fuck of a father, but also by his douchebag mother who cares more about her goddamn 'supporters' than her own son?! That alone aggravated me to no end. Nothing else that was actually worth knowing was mentioned in the article so I moved along.

The next article was one that was titled, 'ONCE GREAT EVANS CONDUCTS BANK ROBBERY'. This article was probably the least helpful one I have come across. To break it down for you, the reporter stated that Soul, within the first month of his disappearance had conducted a bank robbery with two other people. Now let's be serious: does that even SOUND like Soul? He was 16 at the time; how was he going to come up with a master bank robbing plan with him stationed as their leader? Wasn't happenin'. It didn't even end up being him neither. It was some 40-something year old whose hair was starting to grey. Total waste. Trashed.

The third article was titled, 'MATTHEWS AND EVANS VS. EVANS'. From the title, you could probably guess what happened. This was issued when Soul's family and his brother's fiancé's family teamed up together to bring Soul out of hiding and press charges against him. This case was going to go through to the court, but they were missing one key factor: Soul. They were never able to catch Soul since he disappeared 7 years ago and Soul had never been hauled into the station before. Anyway, let's get back to the article. The reporter had wrote that the Evans family was charging Soul for robbery and assault and battery while the Matthews family was charging him for sexual offense. The reporter got each of the family's quotes.

 _'I really thought Soul was a good kid at first. He was quiet, obedient, polite… It pains us to see such a good boy turn into such an ugly monster, but this has taught us a very valuable lesson. Looks absolutely can be deceiving and you have to be very careful of who you place your trust in,'_ Julia Matthews' family said. They were a blessing from above compared to the trash that the Evans family spat about their own blood. This next quote absolutely sickened me.

 _'We don't even consider this case to be a Matthews and Evans vs. Evans because as soon as Soul decided to act out as such, he had disqualified himself from being a part of our honorable family. We are disgusted, we are violated and justice needs to be served. Soul will be behind bars, I guarantee it,'_ Soul's father said. What a sick, lowly, twisted bastard… This man was horrible beyond comprehension. Reading these kinds of articles made me want to be there for Soul even more. Whatever he needed. My door (or window in his case) was always open. Know why? Because I don't believe Soul to be the type of person to do these things that his family is accusing him of. There had to be a missing piece of the puzzle that no one is noticing… There is a lot more to this story and I want to find out what.

The last article for the day was one titled as, 'SOUL EATER ON THE RUN' which was pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Soul was on the run and the police were hunting him down. At first, it was reported that the police had searched Death City for two months, finding nothing. They then decided to check the outskirts of the city and still found nothing. They believed that Soul may have either been under the care of another unknown source, or he fled. They believed the latter. From my knowledge, I can tell you that this case has been randomly popping up from time to time. When Soul gets tipped off to the police, they go chasing after him like a moth to a flame, but they never actually find any leads. Sometimes, they would even start going on random searches for Soul when no criminal activity has even taken place. The strangest thing is just that. Something had to have been going on. All the stuff that's been going on lately just have not been adding up. Something was definitely wrong here, _but what?_

* * *

I returned home after an exhausting day at work. Immediately I ran for a shower, not even bothering to check my phone. Any text could wait; the shower was much needed. I stripped down and stepped into the shower, sighing in content as the warm water droplets ran down my exposed skin. As I washed my sticky, hot body, I thought of all the things Soul had to go through at such a young age. Can you imagine being completely on your own at 16 years of age? Wouldn't it suck? Alright, now times that by ten. That's how Soul had to have felt. Being completely on his own, having to struggle to evade the police and live peacefully all at once… no, scratch that. Living peacefully was no realistic option for Soul at any point in time. Not even with his parents. Just look at the way they talked about him in the papers! If they were willing to talk badly about him like that in public, imagine what it could've been like behind closed doors. I had to turn down the heat of the water since the heat of my body was becoming too overwhelming. Everything sucked. His parents sucked, his living style sucked… everything just sucked.

After my emotional shower, I changed into my gym shorts and a loose fitting tank top. I figured it would be best to do some laundry, but I was feeling a little paranoid about my phone, so I checked it just to be sure I didn't miss anything. Sure enough, I did. Two missed calls from Mama. _Hmm, I haven't talked to her in a while. Plus, she called me twice. Maybe I should call her back._ I did just that. I clicked on her name and waited for her to pick up the phone. One ring, two rings… After the third ring, my mama picked up right away, shouting into the phone.

"Darling! Thank God! I heard about all those robberies in Death City and I had to call right away to see if you were okay!" she started talking at the speed of light. I had to stop her before she exhausted herself!

"Mama, I'm okay, really. No need to worry. The robberies only took place at the shopping district, nowhere else," I reassured. I heard my mama sigh from the other side of the phone. I sighed as well.

"Alright, that's relieving. You know they're blaming that Soul boy that you used to go to school with?" she pointed out. She doesn't know that I'm holding a criminal in my house, so I had to play dumb. I love Mama, but she couldn't get involved in this. This was between Soul and I.

"I had no idea. I've had the police question me the other day because he was said to have been around my neighborhood." Mama tsked.

"That poor boy…" she sighed, empathetically. That was… unexpected. I know Mama is super nice, but to be empathetic towards a criminal?

"What do you mean, Mama?" I asked. I had to sit down for this one. I sat on the couch next to Soul's spot like I usually do. There was a hint of… loneliness as I sat there, feeling no warm body there where it should've been. _Don't tell me… I am NOT missing that bastard! No way in Hell!_

"Oh, come now, sweetie. I know the two of you didn't know each other all that much as children, but you've seen the way that boy acts. Do you really think he's committed all these heinous crimes? I don't think so." I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them tightly. Mama had to have known something. I decided to ask her.

"Mama, you wouldn't happen to know the story, would you? They said he was wanted for assault and battery, sexual offense, robbery and breaking and entering. What happened?" I asked. She seemed to have known her stuff, so it wouldn't have hurt to ask, right? She wouldn't be suspicious of anything would she? She sighed. This was gonna be quite a story.

"It was during you guys' sophomore year of high school. Soul has an older brother who was engaged to this girl who also came from a rich family. One day, the girl came out that Soul had tried to force himself on her. Soul and his older brother got into a fight and Soul bashed him on the head with a violin, giving him a concussion. That's all I really know. No one ever said anything else about what happened that day," she explained. That explained the assault and battery charge and I already knew quite a bit about the robbery charge, but there were still some holes in the story. I huffed.

"I find it hard to believe that Soul would've sexually assaulted someone. That is what triggered all the other charges and that charge is probably the most important one out of all of them," Mama spoke. She had a point. I didn't believe it either. Soul may be a flirt, but he isn't someone who'd push anyone into doing something they're not comfortable doing. That, I knew for a fact. But even so, I still had to know.

In the middle of our conversation, there was a knock on my door. _Who could that be? Surely it isn't Soul…_

"Mama, I'm gonna have to get back to you later. There's someone at the door."

"Alright sweetie. Stay safe. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye bye." We hung up the phone. I lifted myself off the couch and walked straight up to the door. I opened the door and what do you know. Another cop. This cop looked like she was talking business. She had these small rectangle, black glasses that glared as she pushed them up. It was kind of… scary. That's just the first thing about her; the other thing is that she had this intimidating business-like voice. I automatically knew that she wasn't just here to ask a few simple questions about the activity in the area.

"Can I help you, officer?" I asked politely. The woman pushed up her glasses, a glint shining brightly as she does.

"Yes, hello, my name is officer Azusa and I'm here to ask a few questions about Soul Evans' S

"I'm sorry officer, but I know nothing about this man and someone has already dropped by to ask me questions about where he was last seen. I'm afraid I can't answer your questions," I spoke sternly. I had no interest in playing this game of tag with the police department. It wasn't my problem if they couldn't find Soul. Maybe they should do their job a little better in that case.

I tried closing the door on the police officer, but she stopped it harshly with her foot. She pried open the door again and she gave me a mean glare. _S-Scary!_

"Ms. Albarn, I see you are already ready to retire for the night, so let me cut to the chase. An eye witness reported into the police department that a suspicious man was seen climbing out of your window this morning. Care to explain?" she asked. What the hell? So someone was seen crawling out of my window and they automatically assume that it was Soul? …I mean, it was, but why would they just go and assume that? The cops were off their rockers!

"What does this have to do with Soul Evans? Are you suggesting that Mr. Evans has been in my apartment?" I asked bluntly. I shot her a small glare as well. This was utterly ridiculous and a waste of time. They had no real evidence that Soul was in my apartment at all, so this whole confrontation was completely bogus. Azusa opened the door fully again until I let go of the door. I complied, not seeing any point in trying to fight her. She wasn't going to leave without answers and if she did, it would look even more suspicious.

"Ms. Albarn, I'm sure you can understand why would we be taking precautions when we receive an anonymous tip like this. After all that has been going on in the area, we want to be extra sure that no one is guilty of anything. Now, tell me: who was seen climbing out of your window this morning?" she insisted. I had to come up with a lie… Hey, I told that other police officer that I had my sick boyfriend laying in bed with a cold the other day. Maybe I can work off of that!

"If you must know, my boyfriend snuck out of the apartment this morning when I was in the shower and I haven't seen him all day. It's a personal subject, Ms. Azusa and I'm really emotional about it so can we please just drop it? I have reason to believe he's cheating on me and I just… I can't-." I held my hands up to my face and began to cry, looking hurt and confused. As I was fake crying in front of Ms. Azusa, I began to start thinking about my ex and how he had once cheated on me. I remembered the kissing sounds coming from our bedroom, the squeaks of the bed, the exhausted pants from another girl. All those past emotions of grief and abandonment surfaced and I cried even harder, for real.

Azusa placed a soft hand on my back and she rubbed my back gently in consolation. It was weird coming from her, but she still comforted me. She reminded me of why I was really trying to cry and I snapped myself out of it.

"Alright, miss, I'm sorry for bringing up a sensitive topic. That's all the questions I have for you. If you find anything out about Soul Evans, please do not hesitate to call us immediately, okay?" she spoke softer. I nodded my head and wiped my tears. She bid her farewell and I closed the door behind her. I wiped my face with the back of my hands and I sunk down to the ground, supporting myself up with the door.

 _I can't bear to think of that again. I can't keep crying over this… It's been over and done with a long time ago; it's time to face the fact that it happened and move on._ That was the first time I had cried over my ex in over a year. The hurt and pain left as soon as I left that building… The one he cheated on me in. As soon as I stepped out of those doors, I never turned back. I left everything behind and left no trace of myself. No way to contact me, nothing to remember me by, no way to forget me. I mean, how can you forget your girlfriend who walked out on you completely? The one who just up and disappeared out of the blue. The one who found out but never cut things off verbally. The one who got away. None of it matters anymore. I never have to see him again and I never have to feel that pain ever again. _Tch… good riddance… you greedy bastard. Look at me now. I've got a new man in my life and he's gonna be a hundred times the man you ever were or ever will be._

 ** _A/N:_** **** **Ooooooh! Lookie here! We've got ourselves something to think about (; Who's this 'new man' Maka's referring to, hm? Well, that's up to you to decide! And I have to say, I am extremely excited for what I have in store for you guys next! Stay updated! Leave a review! Stay beautiful and live happily my good friends (;**


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N:_** **** **Hello my smart and beautiful readers! OMG I absolutely love you guys so much and I can't even stress it enough how much I appreciate you all individually. I've been getting so many good reviews from you guys and they really do make my day! I look forward to waking up in the morning just to read the cool things that you guys say so thank you so much for supporting Mama, I'm In Love With a Criminal and please continue to show the love. I will do the same in answering each and every one of you, even if it takes all day! :D So now, we're getting to the good bits (; This chapter is a little shorter than the usual chapters, but I promise that your questions will be answered in this chapter :D You guys have all left me amazingly good ideas of what I should do with Daisuke and Julia and I promise that your information will not go amiss! I've made up some really great ideas based off of the things you guys have offered me and I must say: great minds think alike (: Alright, on with the disclaimers! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER OR ANY OF THE PRODUCTS OR SONGS CONTAINED WITHIN THIS STORY! THANK YOU ALL AND R &R! ;D**

 _CHAPTER SIX:_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

 _Oh my, I hope I'm dressed properly for the occasion! Is the red too much? Ugh, I can't even decide! Hell, screw it, I'm goin' with it! I don't have time to change my outfit anyway so let's just move on to makeup._

Oh, hi again. I haven't seen you guys in two weeks now! How've you been? You've been staying out of trouble right? What's that? You wanna know what I'm doing? Oh yeah, sorry! Y'see, I'm a little scatter-brained right now. It's Saturday night and I'm supposed to be meeting up with Daisuke for dinner in an hour. I've been rushing back and forth all over my apartment trying to find the right thing to wear, the right hairstyle to do, the right makeup to apply… All in all, it's been a complete and utter _mess._

Eventually I decided on a tan, bodycon dress that was full sleeved, had a low back and reached about four or five inches above my knee. I paired that sexy little skin-tight number with a pair of red platform heels, a red and tan bangle, gold diamond studded earrings and a red dress coat that pulled all the colors together. Oh, and underneath my dress, I had on some plain, nude-colored nylon thigh high stockings that was held up by one of the garter belts that I bought with Tsubaki that one time, but that's not really all that important. Hopefully Daisuke liked it. I styled my hair into nice, clean curly waves and I left my blonde locks out. Now, I'm in the process of doing my makeup which should only take a few minutes. In the meantime, let's catch up, shall we?

Alright, so as I said before, two weeks have passed since you were last here. Remember? When my mama told me about Soul's runaway story and the police showed up to my house? If you remember, Daisuke had asked me to go out the following Saturday for lunch. We met up in the park at 1pm as planned and the whole date was just so wonderful. Let me tell you; Daisuke is a lot more attractive in person! His pictures don't even do that boy justice, if you can believe it! Anyway, that day, we took a little stroll through the park; he even held my hand! We talked about how we've been and what we've been up to, you know, the usual, casual stuff. After that, we went out to lunch at Death's Garden. The meal was fantastic, but honestly, I was just giddy enough to be sitting next to him in person. He was such a gentleman and we laughed with each other all day long. In the end, he walked me home and we said our goodbyes (and I won't lie to you, I snuck a little kiss on the cheek as he hugged me goodbye!) Ever since then, we've been meeting up every so often, taking things little by little. Somedays, I would stop by the library to drop off a homemade lunch or I would eat with him on his breaks when he called me over. He would visit me at the coffee shop in the morning when I have time to stay and chat… It's growing into a pretty fun and healthy relationship, but we're not quite there yet. No, he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend yet. It's okay. I'm ready when he is.

Oh, what's that? What about Soul, you ask? Here's the thing: your guess is as good as mine. Ever since that morning where he pecked me on the cheek, I haven't seen or heard from him. The police have even calmed their questioning down. As for the whole incident with the thefts in the shopping district, the police still have yet to find the culprit. On the news, I heard that they were checking the video footage for any leads, but apparently, there was nothing to show. The video footage definitely showed the thefts occurring, but there wasn't a clear enough picture to determine if it was actually Soul behind the whole thing. But you and I both know for a fact that it couldn't have possibly been him, so don't you worry. If he didn't do it, he didn't do it.

I do question where Soul is though. I know he hasn't been hauled in yet. If he had, it would've been all over the news, but nothing about Soul has popped up at the moment. Things have been fairly quiet for the most part. Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? Who's to say? Right now, we just have to wait. Honestly, I don't believe Soul will be coming back any time soon, but like I said, who's to say? I could be wrong… but you would like that, wouldn't you?

I finished my makeup just in time. It was about half an hour until I had to meet up with Daisuke. Plenty of time to walk on over there. I grabbed my little red handbag with my cell phone, keys, wallet and lipstick and I double checked to look at myself in the mirror. _I really hope the red isn't screaming too loud. I honestly don't have time to play dress up. Oh well. Looks good to me!_

Before I left my apartment, I shut off all the lights, closed all the windows and checked my handbag to see if everything was present. When all was good and ready to go, I left my apartment, locking it behind me.

The walk to the restaurant was physically painless. Yeah, I was walking in 6 inch heels, but that's never stopped me before! The only thing that was bothersome was the first thing I told you when we met; whistlers. People on the side of the street, people passing by, people honking their horns. It was embarrassing! I hated the catcalls especially. I'm not a damn animal, I have a name! It's Maka Albarn! Use it! Ugh… walking down the streets of Death City wasn't so dangerous to me as it was irritating.

I turned the corner and slowed my pace, seeing that I was walking a little too fast. I'd end up arriving too early and that wouldn't be very pleasant! So while I'm walking down this street full of lechers, how about we get back to our little chat, yeah?

So when I last talked to you guys, you witnessed me encounter with the police. Remember? The policewoman, Azusa came to my house because someone tipped off Soul and told her that they saw a 'suspicious character' climbing out of my window. Luckily, I was able to pull off a lie. I'll refresh your memory:

 _"If you must know, my boyfriend snuck out of the apartment this morning when I was in the shower and I haven't seen him all day. It's a personal subject, Ms. Azusa and I'm really emotional about it so can we please just drop it? I have reason to believe he's cheating on me and I just… I can't-."_

Yeah, that's the one. Luckily for me, Azusa did leave me alone after that and I have been in the safe zone. Honestly, I couldn't tell you how that worked out, because I have no idea how she could've believed such an obvious lie, but whatever. Got the job done. For the next couple of days after that, I felt like I was being watched. Everywhere I turned, there was a police cruiser and every time I looked in their direction, I would catch them staring at me. What the hell is that all about? Things slowly started to calm down though and since nothing suspicious has been going on around me, I guess they just kinda gave up. I'm not complaining though. Not my fault they suck at their job.

I turned another corner to reach my destination and I could see it coming up down the street. I wasn't very sure, but I saw a man out front that seemed to be waiting for something. I assumed it was Daisuke and picked up my speed. I passed by a few people on my way down the street, but there was one guy that I passed that put me a little off my game.

A tall man who seemed to have dark-brown hair and shades on with a pair of jeans and a black hoodie passed by. Now first off, it's around 8 o'clock at night. What the hell was this guy doing wearing sunglasses? I shrugged it off. There were a lot of weird people in Death City. Might as well accept the fact instead of fearing it. I walked past him, not paying the slightest bit attention to him, but right when he passed by me, he whispered something that only I could hear.

"Hey, baby," he whispered in a husky, manly voice… one that was quite familiar I'd say. I gasped and turned around to get a better look at him, but he didn't bother giving me a good enough look. When he passed me, he turned his head ever so slightly to wink at me behind his black shades and smile at me. _Oh well… Whoever it was… He could've been a stranger for all I know. Who cares? Daisuke s waiting for me, I should get a move on it._ Thinking this, I got a move on it and sped up my walk to reach the front of the restaurant. Sure enough, there was Daisuke looking off into the distance, hands in his pocket while we waited for me. As soon as my heels started clacking closer and closer to him, he lifted his head and smiled just as soon as he saw me. I did the same, not being able to stop when I started. He was wearing a white button up that was unbuttoned a little and then he wore a loose black tie around his neck with his dark jeans and his combat boots. _Handsome as always._

"Hey, wow, you look beautiful Maka. Not a surprise though. You always look beautiful," Daisuke said, taking my hand into his and grazing it with his lips. I giggled and felt my cheeks burn from smiling so much.

"You look pretty handsome yourself. Shall we go in?" Daisuke held out his arm for me to take, looking at me with those enticingly beautiful blue eyes. His eyes matched his smile and my heart fluttered at the sight.

"We shall," he responded. I took his arm and he led me in like a gentleman. We were seated right away which surprised me on a Saturday night. Wouldn't you have thought it'd been a bit busier? Oh well; I'm not one to complain.

Our waitress took our drink orders right away; a whiskey for Daisuke and a fruity cocktail for me. Truly, I wasn't sure what I had ordered. I only ordered the drink that looked the best on the menu; forget about what was in it.

"Hmm, fancy," Daisuke teased when the waitress made off with our orders on her little, trusty notepad.

"Is it? I only picked it because it looked tasty." I answered honestly. He chuckled.

"That's so like you. So how's the police been these days? They're not giving you any trouble, are they?" he asked. Yeah, I told him that the police showed up to my house. I didn't dig into the details because to be honest, no matter how much I trust Daisuke, I can't betray Soul like that. It's his secret to keep. Well, I guess it's partly mine as well, but I didn't look at it that way.

"They seem to have given up for the time being, but something tells me that they'll be coming back around." Daisuke nodded, a slight frown in understanding.

"They've been going off about this criminal case for quite some time now. Even some of my good friends were questioned the other day and they've never even heard of the guy. I wonder why they've been so paranoid about it lately."

"They've questioned me a couple times because I was classmates with the guy when he first disappeared. Said something about us being 'close'. Isn't that a joke… Close friends with the guy that used to bully me every day? Ha, that's sick," I laughed, making a joke out of it. I didn't care very much about Soul's past as a bully anymore, but you've got to admit, the whole idea did sound pretty ridiculous. I mean, why would you get the impression that two people are close to each other because one picks on the other all the time? That's stupid… right?

"You were bullied as a child? I don't believe it," Daisuke said with a look of utter disbelief and shock. _Is it really THAT hard to believe? I mean… look at me, Daisuke. Don't you see? I'm no one special._ I nervously laughed, never really having to deal with this kind of reaction.

"Why do you say that?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're a smart, gorgeous, independent woman who's making a name for herself. Who wouldn't be head over heels for you?" The waitress came to our table and handed us our drinks, leaving to give us a few more minutes to decide on our dinners. I giggled and took a light sip of my cocktail, cocking a playful eyebrow at Daisuke.

"Are you saying that you're head over heels for me, Dake?" I teased. Then, he did something that I wasn't expecting from him. He placed a warm hand over mine atop the table and looked deeply into my eyes, green clashing with blue.

"I am." Those eyes. They were sincere. They were the eyes of someone who I could place my trust in. Should I take my chances, or should I follow what my mind says instead and proceed with caution? My heart skipped a beat as we sat there silently speaking with our eyes.

 _'Believe in me.'_

 _'I will.'_

* * *

After our delicious dinner with a wonderful conversation, Daisuke insisted on walking me home. I could've walked on my own, but he wasn't having it. "Especially because you've got alcohol in your system," he says. In the end, I allowed it. Now, we're walking hand in hand, fingers intertwined as we smiled and talked about the stupid little things we always talk about.

The walk wasn't very long, but I purposely slowed my pace when I saw my apartment building coming into view in the distance. I hated parted with someone too soon, especially someone like Daisuke. I'm telling you guys, I think I might've actually made a good choice by letting Liz help me find someone for my own. It's been so long since I was able to take it easy like this and it sure brought back some pretty good feelings. Feelings I had long forgotten. Ones replaced by hatred and regret… but let's not dwell on the past.

As we approached the door to my apartment, Daisuke walked me up to the steps and halted to bid his farewells. I spoke first. Not gonna lie, I was a bit nervous. Almost like I was coming home from my first date.

"Thank you for tonight. I had a really fun time." Daisuke grinned from ear to ear.

"No way, I should be thanking you for joining me. You know, I really do enjoy myself the most when I'm around you." Daisuke looked away slightly when he muttered that last sentence. I heard him perfectly clear, but I was so caught off guard that I barely could bring myself to say anything in return. Instead, I pulled the 'you're just saying that' card.

"Oh, stop. You're just saying things…" I looked to our feet and concentrated hard, trying not to let him see my clear, red blush. With a gentle index finger, he rose my face to meet his eyes once more. I did not fight it. His baby blue eyes shimmered in the moonlight as they burned right through mine. He looked quite serious, which made me stiffen under his touch. He then smiled lightly to ease my tension.

"No, Maka… I'm not." He spoke in a tone that was almost pleading for me to believe in him. He must know that I have trouble leaving my trust to people in this kind of way. I was battling with myself in more than one way and I couldn't control all the emotions bubbling within me in the moment. But the next thing that happened put my bursting emotions to rest. Daisuke puckered his lips and gently laid them atop my own, sweetly. I allowed the kiss to continue as I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, wishing for nothing more but to savior the moment.

 _I need Daisuke to be here. I need him to be by my side. Who else would be worthy enough? I wish I could stay with him like this for just a little longer… Just a little longer… Daisuke I-._

"Get. Away. From. Her," a menacing voice pierced through the night from behind the building wall. Hearing the voice, Daisuke broke the kiss leaving me to whimper in disappointment. _Who could that've been?_ I irately whipped my head to where the sound of the voice came from. _Next to the building. That alley over there._ Out of the shadows of the alleyway next to my apartment building emerged a familiar man. It was the man I saw on the street earlier. The dark-brown haired dude wearing the shades and the hoodie. _Wait… now that I look at him… Is that… IS THAT SOUL?!_

The man stomped over to us on the steps and within the blink of an eye, he snatches Daisuke up by the collar and shoves him into the front door of my apartment. Now that I got a closer look, I was absolutely sure of it; this bastard was definitely my Soul Eater.

"HEY!" I scolded. Soul paid me no mind. He glared at me for a minute as if to tell me 'Don't you "hey" me!'. Next, he glared up at Daisuke who was… who was… _smiling?_ Yeah, Daisuke was wearing a smile on his face. Why? I looked at Soul who then looked at Daisuke. His eyes grew unbelievably wide and he quickly slammed Daisuke's back into the front door with a grunt. Soul looked pissed beyond belief. _I have to stop this! But how?! I can't let Daisuke know that I talk to Soul!_

"Akane?" Soul whispered softly to himself. _Hm? Akane? Who's Akane?_ I was thoroughly confused; what the hell was everyone talking about? Why was Soul here? (Well, I guess we can probably assume that he decided to crash at my place tonight. Fine.) Why was he mad at Daisuke? Why was Daisuke smiling? Why was Soul calling Daisuke, 'Akane'? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?

Soul slammed Daisuke back into the door. Daisuke began to laugh as he closely peered into Soul's face. I watched in horror as the whole ordeal took place. These two were acting abnormally strange.

"What the hell are you doing here, Akane?! You're not supposed to be here," Soul sneered. Daisuke nodded slowly, smile still present.

"Well, it's nice to see you too, Eater. Aren't you happy to see me?" Soul slammed Daisuke's back into the front door once more. A lot rougher this time. I gasped at the sound of Soul's nickname. _Does Daisuke… know Soul? No… that can't be possible… can it?_

"Does it look like I'm happy, Akane? Huh?! Just what are you doing here? Why are you hangin' around Maka? What are you after?" Soul growled deeply. I've never seen him so pissed off in my life. I figured it would be best to let the two of them talk it out… Then maybe my own questions would be answered. Daisuke tsked at Soul.

"Soul, Soul, Soul… You should me better than that by now. You of all people should know that I don't give out info for free. Especially when it involves my own personal information."

"You damned bastard. So you _are_ hiding something!" Soul cursed. By the way Soul was closing in on Daisuke, I could see it in his eyes that things were about to start getting ugly. I couldn't have any of that happening on my front porch; it would attract too much unwanted attention, so I barged in.

"Okay, WOAH, wait a minute. What the hell is going on here?" I demanded an answer. Soul sucked his teeth and glared at me. I knew that look in his eyes…

"Maka, go inside. I'll deal with this punk and be up in a minute." I caught Daisuke's eyebrows prop up, his eyes smiling. I dealt with the situation at hand none the less.

"You will do no such thing! Daisuke-." He cut me off.

"I have to get going anyways, don't worry about me. Looks like you and Eater have some things to talk about, so I'll be on my way," Daisuke reassured. He pried Soul's hands off his jacket and brushed his hands. Daisuke leaned in towards me and pecked me on the cheek on last time. Soul clearly scowled.

"Bye, Maka."

"U-Umm… bye." For more reasons than one as you could probably guess, I stood speechless. Soul waited until Daisuke turned the corner before he yanked me by the arm and pulled me behind him, into the apartment building. He said nothing as he opened the door to my apartment and threw me inside. He locked the door behind him and turned to me, wearing the same disapproving glare that he gave me before. Before he scolded me, Soul removed his shades, exposing his accusing red eyes and took off his brown wig that hid his long, white, shaggy locks and hood to show just how angry he truly was. He had no right to be angry with me though. _HE'S_ the one who interrupting the ending to a perfect night!

"Don't give me that look, Soul! I did nothing wrong; YOU'RE the one who interrupted us!" I scolded, throwing him back a well-deserved scowl myself. I turned on my heels and marched off to my room (closing the door fully before I started to change; I already learned my lesson) and I locked the door behind me. I could hear Soul's footsteps stomping right after me and halting before the closed door.

"Oh?! Well excuse me for saving your ass from making a bonehead mistake. LIKE ALWAYS." He emphasized the _like always_ at the end. I spat back.

"What are you talking about?" I removed my tight dress, replacing it with an oversized t-shirt and I kicked off my shoes from my aching feet.

"I saw that look in your eyes, Maka! You were gonna bring him up here, weren't you?!" he accused. Before I could even continue changing, I snatched open the door again and crunched up my nose in frustration. Soul didn't back down; he only towered over me even more, intimidatingly.

"You're unbelievable!" I pushed past him and walked off to the bathroom to remove my makeup. Again, he followed in suit, glaring at me through the mirror as I wiped my face clean with a washcloth.

"How so?! It's the truth, isn't it?" he grumbled behind me. I scoffed. This was a full- on battle that I wasn't giving up. He needed to hear a thing or two from me.

"What do you know about the truth, Soul?" I retaliated.

"I know the truth about him, which is more than I can say for you, ya' dunce!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I pushed past him again to stomp into the kitchen and grab a water. Everything I did was done out of anger. Opening the fridge, snatching a water bottle, slamming the fridge closed, opening the bottle of water, gulping down water… I'm sure that if you really saw how we were acting, you'd be laughing until your guts popped out of your mouth.

"Lie #1: His name's 'Daisuke'. Umm, no. His name's actually Akane and lie #2: he works full-time at the library. Aha, that's another huge lie because he's a secret trader that collects information and sells it to people who pay up for it," he said, matter-of-factly. I closed the water bottle and tossed it back in the fridge, leaning back on the door and crossing my arms. _Well, how about this?_

"And how would you know all this?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. I knew he wouldn't answer me straight-on. He never did! As I suspected, he stayed completely silent, looking to the ground. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, I thought so."

"Listen, Maka, just hear me out!" he insisted after I pushed past him _again_ and walked over to my stereo. I wanted to hear no more of this if he wasn't going to start confessing. I turned on my stereo and turned it up all the way to block out the sound of his voice.

"No! I don't wanna hear any more about this nonsense!" I turned the song all the way up and returned to my room. I didn't pay much attention to the song playing; I just blasted it to keep him from talking. I was going to finish changing, but Soul followed me once again, sizing me up.

 _ESCAPE THE FATE – SITUATIONS_

 _Situations are irrelevant now._

 _She loves the way that I tease,_

 _I love the way that she breathes_

"So that's it? You're just gonna believe him? The guy gives you one kiss and you're just gonna give into him like that?! You don't even know him, Maka!" Soul shouted over the music. He was only inches away and I could feel the anger and hatred emitting off of him.

 _I touched her ooh, she touched my ahhh, it was the craziest thing._

 _I love the girls who hate to love because they're just like me._

 _A certain girl she took my hand and ran it up her thigh._

 _She licked her lips and pulled my hair, I fall in love for a night_

"I don't have to in order to know that he makes me feel good! Unlike you! Calling me names, screaming at me! You're no better!" I retorted. I leaned into him as well, sizing him up even more. He wasn't going to get the better of me.

"So what?! You want me to make you feel good about yourself?!"

 _She can't behave and I'm just a slave,_

 _don't worry I'll be gone when the morning comes._

"Fine then!" he yelled. Next thing I know, he grabbed me by the back of my neck, entangling his rough hands in my hair and he kissed me hard. I immediately kissed back, allowing only my body to answer him.

 _Darling what is going on?_

 _Honestly that never happened_

 _Lying is your favorite passion._

Soul tackled me onto the bed, continuing to deepen the kiss and he hovered over me. My mind was already filled to the brim with confusing thoughts, so my body took over for me. I moaned into his mouth as his hands crept up the side of my clothed thigh, hungrily. Whatever was about to happen was something we might've regretted later on, but neither of us were in our right minds. _Oh well… We'll worry about that later._

 _Leave me, go where you belong_

 _Higher heels and lipstick napkins_

 _dying is your latest fashion._

 _NORMAL P.O.V_

Maka and Soul were both feeling something; whether it was the flare from their anger or the blast of heat from each other's rising passion, they couldn't tell. But they thrived off of it. They needed this feeling. They _wanted_ this feeling.

Soul's shaking hands moved further up from Maka's nylon-covered thighs and snuck under her t-shirt, rising it a bit from her lower half. He had expected to roll the thin, skin-toned fabric down her legs to grant him more access, but when that t-shirt no longer hid what was underneath, he found himself more turned on by it was he was actually feeling. He glanced down and found that the "innocent" Maka was wearing a sexy black-laced garter belt that was holding up her nylon thigh high stockings. _Was she really planning on having Akane come upstairs with her?_ He shook his head and ripped the stockings free from the garter belt.

 _The frustration it's a regular thing_

 _I hate the ones who love to hate because they're just like me._

Soul's warm, heated fingers freed Maka of the garter belt, earning him another moan from Maka. Her hands traveled mindlessly up to Souls' white locks, pulling him in closer to return to the much-needed kiss. Soul threw the garter belt behind him and brushed his fingers along her stomach. Maka arched her back to lean further into his touch.

 _A certain girl she took her hand and put it in my lap_

 _"It's way too full," she said_

 _"Once you have me you'll always come back."_

Maka slipped her tongue between Soul's lips, asking desperately for further access. Soul granted her that access. What were the two of them thinking? The two of them were screaming at each other a few minutes ago, so why now? Why did they suddenly feel the need to give into their unknown temptation now? It was simple. Soul loved seeing her like this. He was a sadist after all. He loved seeing her pissed off, stomping around, screaming… _She looked hot like that_ , he thought. How could he resist? Besides, she almost gave into another man tonight. He needed to let her know. She needs to know that she has always belonged to him and him alone. Ever since that night that he saved her, she has been his. His to claim, his to cherish, his to protect. She might not have realized it just yet, but she would. And he was going to make sure that she did.

 _She can't behave and I'm just a slave,_

 _don't worry I'll be gone when the morning comes._

Maka's fingers slipped beneath Soul's shirt this time, but instead of teasing him, she actually began to move his shirt above his head to remove it. Soul didn't know what she had in mind, but he allowed her, even helping her to slip the fabric over his head. She tossed it beside her and snaked her hands behind his back, grabbing at him and slightly sinking her sharp nails into his back. He groaned in response and lowered himself onto Maka.

 _Darling what is going on?_

 _Honestly that never happened_

 _Lying is your favorite passion._

 _Leave me, go where you belong_

 _Higher heels and lipstick napkins_

 _dying is your latest fashion._

Their kiss became so hard and fast, Soul's hands became even more desiring, Maka's moans became more easily heard, even over the blasting lyrics and beat of the song playing in the background. Soul's hands messed with the hem of Maka's over-sized t-shirt and then, she knew just what he wanted of her. She arched her back so he could easily move the shirt from under her and he yanked the shirt from above her head as well. For a minute, he broke the kiss to take one look at the half-dressed vixen that he's always dreamed of seeing. She loved oh so much to tease him with the sight of her relying only on the godforsaken t-shirt to cover her lady parts, so what did he have, but his imagination? Now his imagination was becoming a reality.

Underneath him, he saw Maka's face redden as her chest flew up and down with heavy breaths. She was a lot curvier than he had originally thought at first. Her chest had really filled out since their childhood, leaving her with a perfect size to squeeze in the palm of his large, masculine hands. Her stomach was still as small as ever; he could probably even squeeze her with just one arm snaked around her. Her hips were pretty wide as well, especially for such a petite girl such as Maka. She was perfectly proportionate. And her lingerie? Of course she had some pretty sexy lingerie to match that garter belt that was now old news to him. It was a black and red laced number. _His favorite colors._ He made work with the bra, unclipping it from behind like a pro and tossing it aside. Usually he would've torn it the shreds, but knowing Maka, she probably would've killed him if he did.

 _I know you love to resist_

 _and all it takes is a kiss_

 _and you just love to hate me._

He kneaded one of her breasts roughly and again, she pulled his face into another hard, yearning kiss. Maka's breath hitched at the sudden attention Soul was giving to her and she leaned into his touch even more. Soul smirked. He knew that he had her right where he wanted her. She was going to give into him even more the more that they carried this out and he was willing to push her just as far as she would go. He pressed his toned chest against hers and she entangled her legs with his. She was just about ready to burst with pleasure and he knew that full-well. So maybe it was time to kick it up a notch.

 _You know you love all the lies_

 _so don't act surprised_

 _that I just love to hate you._

Soul lifted himself off of Maka, removing himself from the kiss and he looked deep into her half-lidded eyes for an answer. Would she let him go further? Her eyes were a dark, mossy green, her cheeks were flushed completely red all the way to her ears. She breathed heavily and whined, awaiting his touch once more. _Yeah, she would._

 _I kissed your lips you pulled my hair it was the craziest thing._

 _I love the girls who love to hate. (Haaa… Haaa.. Haaa..)_

He let his hands travel down south slowly, her breath shaking and her eyes clenching shut as anticipation clouded over. Soul made sure to take his time with her. He wanted to enjoy watching her squirm. He knew she wouldn't beg with words. She _could_ however, beg with her body. And so she did. Her hips swayed back and forth as if asking to hurry it up. He did. His fingers danced along the hem of her boyshorts, making her skin jump and her toes curl. He smiled. He went back to moving dangerously slow and she peeked up at him with one eye, aggravated. He laughed. That's when he let himself go even further. He moved Maka's panties over and slipped one finger underneath. She shuddered.

 _(Whoa) Darling what is going on?_

 _Honestly that never happened_

 _Lying is your favorite passion._

He watched the whole time as his finger went to work, feeling around and playing with her wet womanhood. Her head whipped all around, her eyes clenched shut even more as she refused to let herself cry out. He was going to _make her_ cry out, though. There was no avoiding it. He added another finger into the mix and he plunged his fingers into her, earning a loud, womanly moan to escape her lips. He grinned wider. She was panting and grabbing at the sheets only by his touch. He hadn't even given her the full experience yet and she was already on edge. Maybe her ex didn't do it right. Maybe he wasn't good enough to satisfy her needs. Oh well, the past is the past. Soul was gonna make her forget all about him _and_ Akane with time.

 _Leave me, go where you belong_

 _Higher heels and lipstick napkins,_

 _dying is your latest fashion_

She wouldn't have to worry about anyone else. Soul was all that should've mattered to her. He's been there. She's been there. They've gone through it all. In the end, they were the only ones who really understood each other… Maybe they understood each other more than they understood themselves. Soul knew that it was especially true now as he pleasured her. By the sound of her moans, he could tell that she's never had it like this before. He was happy to change all that. His two fingers dug deeper within her and he leaned forward to touch her lips with his. She grabbed his once again. His free hand grabbed one of Maka's hands and he pinned it beside her head, clasping their fingers tightly as he added a third finger. His thumb brushed lightly over her little numb as the trio roughly entered her. She groaned into his mouth and tightened her grip on his hand.

 _Darling (leave me) what is going on?_

 _Honestly that never happened_

 _Lying is your favorite passion_

 _Leave me (darling) go where you belong_

 _Higher heels and lipstick napkins,_

 _dying is your favorite passion_

Soul's fingers sped up the pace as Maka throbbed in response. She began to make throaty sounds of pleasure as the pent up energy rose within her. Soon enough, she came to her climax and let herself give in to Soul. She panted into Soul's mouth and he smiled triumphantly. He removed his fingers extremely slowly as her womanhood clung to him wantingly, but he had to refuse. Her body tingled all over as she was dropping down from her high. She laid there limply, shaking, the sweat on her body becoming cold as her body temperature gradually returned to normal. He chuckled and kissed her one last time before he untangled himself from her and got up from the bed.

Maka was starting to see a bit clearer now and in the realization of it all, she laid there, staring at the ceiling for what seemed like forever. Soul could've gone further, but he just didn't have it in his heart to do it. Not now, at least. Not after everything that's happened tonight. It was a lot to take in, so he decided to put a lid on it now and save the rest for a better time. A time when they don't want to tear at each other's throats. A time that they can both enjoy. A time when things clear up a little. That being said, he threw back on his shirt and left the apartment, leaving Maka laying there on the bed, still only dressed in her boyshorts. Maka let him. She didn't have the strength to go after him and speak to him. She had a lot of thinking to do and she knew that he'd come back. Eventually. He had to, right? … _right?_

 ** _A/N:_** **So that was interesting... HAHA! That's not all I've got so don't think that this story is rated M for nothing (; I have to end the chapter here though because, not gonna lie, I've hit a wall with this one. I've hit a fork in the road sort of. I can do so many things with the ending of this chapter that I can't even decided which decision is best haha! Some of you have already guessed what I'm planning to do with Daisuke's character and you all have great ideas, but I know of a way to take it even FURTHER (; So now that you know who Daisuke really is, tell me what you think is gonna happen next (; REVIEW! I'll see you guys very soon so please stay updated and stay beautiful my lovely friends :D ~ Laurnea 3**


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N:_** **** **Alrighty then! Here we go, Chapter Seven of Mama, I'm in love with a criminal! This chapter is fairly short, but that's because the next few chapters are gonna be kinda lengthy, so think of this as a prologue to a bunch of crazy shit xD I'll get right into it. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER OR ANY OF THE PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN THIS STORY! R &R my friends :D I EAT THOSE REVIEWS UP SO KEEP EM COMING! (:**

 _CHAPTER SEVEN:_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months… Time passed, but still nothing. Soul was nowhere to be found after that night. It was going onto the second month. Nothing had been said on the news, no one ever talked about him; it was almost like everyone had completely forgotten that he had ever existed. Even the police had moved on to more pressing matters to deal with. He was gone like a lost memory. It all happened within time and it did take a while for everything to settle down, but something told me that it wasn't gonna stay this way for much longer. Sooner or later, something had to give. Nothing would ever stay this peacefully quiet in Death City. I mean, it _is_ called Death City after all.

Anyway, after Soul left that night, I sat there staring at the ceiling for a countless amount of time. I didn't know what to think, what to feel, what to do. I knew that something had changed between us; of course I didn't know exactly what it was, but something had changed.

After sitting there, motionless for a couple of hours, anger began to build up within me. _How dare he just leave me like that!_ I thought. Did he really care so little for me that he'd just go and do something like that and not even stick around? Was he really that kind of person? Deep down inside, I couldn't believe what I was thinking. I had to at least trust that I knew him better than that… but did I really? It's not like he ever told me anything about him or his predicament. I had to learn that for myself and even I wasn't able to piece all the details together. He's always so secretive, so it could be possible that I don't even know as much about him as I think I do. Maybe that was a little conceited on my part to think so…

Laying there, I gradually began to think of Soul as a stranger. If he never came back, maybe that was for the best. Maybe things between us just weren't what we thought it could be. I took his leave that night as a final goodbye… I cried. Yeah, it's true. For a few days even. Why would I cry over a jackass like him? Beats me. All I knew was that he took something with him that night when he left.

Today, like I said, it had been about two months since I last saw Soul. I had no hope in him coming back, so the best I could do was return to my normal life before he had appeared. It was best to pretend that he didn't exist.

Today, I had plans to go on a picnic with the gang. You know, Tsubaki, Black*Star, Liz, Kid, Patty and Crona. Oh, speaking of all these boyfriends, you must be wondering what happened to Daisuke… or rather… 'Akane' as Soul called him. Well, consider him MIA as well. That's right; I haven't seen him, heard from him, heard about him or even put in the effort to track him down. After all that Soul told me about him that night, I couldn't find it in my heart to confront the issue. So I decided to let it all go in one night. I've had enough romance to last me a life time anyway.

I dressed in a pair of ripped skinny jeans, a light blue sweatshirt and a pair of white flip flops. I threw my hair up in a messy bun as I did before and started my walk to the park by myself. At least the sun was out; that was something to be positive about. Lately, I have been gradually healing from that night spent alone after Soul left me. Things were just starting to get better and my attitude began to improve. I wasn't always moping around, hitting my head against every wall trying to decode why on Earth he would've treated me like that. At some point, I had to accept the fact that he was gone and never coming back. _Have a nice life, I guess._

I was the second party to arrive at the park. I met Tsubaki and Black*Star on a small hill in the park under a cherry blossom tree. As soon as I came into view, Black*Star started shouting and cackling like he always did and Tsubaki waved me over like a maniac. _They seem to be in a pretty good mood today._

"HELLO COMMONER! I SEE YOU HAVE COME TO WORSHIP YOUR GOD AND GODDESS! **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** " Black*Star shouted from the distance. Tsubaki smiled at him and sweatdropped as the people passing by gave them funny looks. I shook my head and smiled as I made my way up to them. At least I'd always have them by my side in the end. They'd never leave me like Soul did. They're too loyal for that.

"Hi, guys. You brought the food?" I asked, approaching the couple. Behind me strolled in Liz, Kid, Patty and Crona. Crona was hiding behind Patty's giggling form and Liz was clinging to Kid's arm with a large smile on her face.

"Yeah, we've got everything. Help us lay out the picnic blanket, Maka?" Tsubaki asked. I nodded and quickly grabbed two ends of the blanket, holding them down onto the grassy area while Liz and Patty put heavy rocks on each corner. Black*Star zipped up to Crona and patted him harshly on the back with smile.

"Hey there, Crona! Whatcha hiding for?! Your God doesn't bite! HAHAHAHA!" Black*Star shouted again. Kid slapped Black*Star upside the head and Crona slowly backed next to Patty's side, shaking immensely. Everyone sat on the blanket while the women of the group laid out the food in the middle of the blanket. Each couple sat on each side of the square blanket. That's when Kid's eyes bulged opne in realization.

"Hey, wait a minute. THERE'S ONLY SEVEN OF US! NO, NO, NO! THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT! IT HAS TO BE EIGHT! EVERYTHING'S RUINED!" he cried out, cradling his head and rocking back and forth. Liz slapped him upside the head and looked at me apologetically. She knew what happened with Daisu-ahem… Akane. I didn't tell her everything, but I did tell her that he kinda just up and disappeared all together. I shook my head as if to say 'it's not a big deal, don't worry'. In order to get off the subject, I grabbed a plastic plate and began helping myself of sandwiches and chips.

Yeah, being in this little group of couples did make me feel a little left out at times, but this is how it's been for over a year. It was just something that took adjusting to. I'd get over just like I did back then. All in all, they were all still my friends. It's just that they were paired up. No problem there.

"I'm glad that you came out with us today, Maka. You look like you're doing a lot better these days," Tsubaki said gladly. Patty giggled and Liz nodded.

"You really had us worried for a while. Something must've really been eating at you, huh?" Liz frowned. She must've felt like the whole thing was her fault. In truth, it wasn't. It was mine. I shook my head and waved my hands at Liz.

"No, no, everything's fine. I guess I just needed a little time to think things over," I assured, taking a bite in my sandwich.

"Don't worry about Daisuke, Maka. You can find a way better guy out there that's just perfect for you, I know it," Tsubaki smiled and reassured. She always knew how to make me feel better, but for some reason, her reassurance didn't help at all. I had no hope in finding the man of my dreams. That dream flew out the window a long time ago. Liz nodded her head.

"Yeah and if you need any help from me, I'll be right here!" she declared, a fist clenched in determination. I sweatdropped.

"Yeeeeaahh, I think I'll pass on that. Thanks." The group laughed. The rest of our picnic was spent talking about stupid, pointless things that made us laugh. I'll spare you the details since nothing of importance really happened. It was just a normal hang-out day with my old childhood friends. After the picnic, we all packed out what little food we had left and went for a stroll around the park, continuing our conversations. Somewhere along the way, I stopped listening to what they were saying and took out a cigarette and a light from bag. I lit the end of the cancer stick and inhaled, snapping the lighter shut. Tsubaki turned around to me when she smelled the smoke puffing from my mouth. She furrowed her brows.

"You're still smoking those things, Maka?" she asked. I puffed out more smoke.

"Yeah, I never stopped. You knew that," I spoke boringly. Black*Star turned to me and laughed.

"Lookie here! Looks like we got a badass on our hands! HAHAHAHAHA!" he held his stomach as he laughed out and Liz looked behind her to see me puffing out another trail of smoke.

"Something bothering you? You only smoke when you've got something on your mind," Liz pointed out. She knew me pretty well. That's to be expected by the one who got me into it, though. I shook my head, my eyes half-closed as I concentrated on easing my mind.

"No, it's nothing. I guess I just wanted a cigarette. Nothin' to get worried over," I assured, inhaling, pausing and exhaling. Liz furrowed her brows as well and looked at Tsubaki. I knew that they had to be worried about me for the past few weeks, but seriously, I wasn't in the mood to be coddled. This wasn't the first time I got my heart broken… wait… what?

I stopped walking and stared down at the cigarette I held between my pointer finger and my middle finger. _Is that it? Am I heartbroken? Ha, how could I know? It's been so long since I've even let someone in. Could it be that I let Soul in without even knowing it?_

"Maka," a voice spoke out. It belonged to Tsubaki. I looked up at her, confused. She had a calmed look on her face as she removed the cigarette from between my fingers. She threw it to the ground and squished in on the concrete.

"If you ever need to talk to us about anything, we're here. But don't ruin yourself by continuing the smoke these nasty things. You know I'm here for you no matter what," she whispered for only me to hear. She said this before. When I first started smoking that night. The night that I ran to them in tears because my ex had finally been caught in the act. I can remember it just like it was yesterday…

* * *

 _I ran into Liz, Patty and Tsubaki's dorm room, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably._

 _"L-L-Liiiiizzzz!" I screamed in pain as I whaled. Liz and the others ran over to me and sat me on the bottom bun of Liz and Patty's bunk bed. Patty sat in front of me on the ground while the other two sat on either side of me on the bed._

 _"Shh, Maka, tell us what's wrong. What happened?" Tsubaki asked calmly. Patty grabbed my hand and stroked it with her thumb. Liz had her arm and my shoulder as she held my closely. Tsubaki was holding onto my other hand while she stroked my tears away, but they only drenched her hand completely with salty tears. I sniffled and struggled for a breath between cries._

 _"I-It's C-C-Chriissss… H-He was w-with a-another… WAAHHH!" I was sniveling like a little child who broke their favorite toy. This was my first real heart break and I wasn't taking it lightly in the slightest. The girls listened on patiently as the consoled me. Liz rubbed my shoulder and even a couple of their tears were dropping out of concern for me._

 _"Chris cheated?" Tsubaki asked hesitantly. I nodded and grabbed my hands back from the girls to whale into the back of my hands. Liz got up from my side and walked over to her purse. She grabbed a lighter and a pack of Marlboros, lighting a cigarette, taking a drag and then handing it to me._

 _"Here, it'll make you feel a little better," Liz offered. Tsubaki tried to swat her hand away as she glared at her disapprovingly._

 _"No, Liz! Don't get her into that stuff, it's only gonna make her feel worse!"_

 _"No. Let me. Liz, hand it to me," I said. I sniffled one last time and took the cigarette from Liz, breathing in, holding it and breathing out. I choked a little, but I did feel strangely better. The pain was still there. I know it was, but I felt numb. I felt nothingness. I continued to smoke in peace, my tears drying as I succumbed to the bliss of feeling nothing at all. Tsubaki looked on, disappointed. She then rubbed my back as we all fell silent._

 _"Maka, I don't want you to rely on this nasty things to make you feel better. You have us. We're never gonna leave you, you hear me? So don't give into those things. Let us help you if we can."_

 _"Okay. Thank you, you guys."_

* * *

Remembering that lost memory brought tears to my eyes. I quickly wiped them away as Tsubaki rubbed the sides of my shoulders comfortingly. I crashed into her, hugging her and she hugged me back in a motherly fashion. That was how Tsubaki was. She was like everyone's mother. _Thank you, Tsubaki._

Tsubaki held me and the others smiled at me from behind her as if to say 'that goes for all of us as well'. I let go of Tsubaki and she smiled at me. I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye and nodded.

"Talk to us when you're ready. We won't force you to come clean. Obviously it's not something you're ready to talk about yet," she said. The others behind her began to walk off slowly returning back to their conversation.

"You coming with us?" Tsubaki asked. I shook my head. I've had enough excitement to last me all week. I just wanted to go back home now.

"No, I think I'm gonna go home. You guys go on ahead, don't worry," I said, smiling. Tsubaki looked unsure, but I only nodded silently. Eventually she let me go and she continued on with the rest of the group. I watched them walk off all together as they all waved goodbye. I waved back with a smile and waited until they were no longer in view to turn in the other direction and walk home.

I walked along the streets of Death City, taking in the scenery. The sun was high in the sky and people were buzzing about. It was a Sunday, so most people were spending their day with their families and loved ones. _Loved ones… That reminds me. I never called Mama back that night when the police came to my house. I should probably catch up with her tonight and see how she's doing. Maybe if I talk to her, I can get a little bit of advice on what I should do next._

Just when I thought of Mama, my phone began to buzz as if on cue. I checked the caller id and sure enough, it was Mama.

"Hello?"

"Hi sweetie! How've you been?" she asked cheerfully. Wow, that was a weird coincidence, huh?

"I'm good. Just walking home from the park. I was actually just thinking of calling you."

"Why, what's wrong? Did something happen out there? Is your father being a pest?" she started bombarding me with questions. That's Mama for you. I shook my head pointlessly; it's not like Mama would actually be able to see.

"No, nothing like that. I haven't heard from Papa in a while, thank God. It's just… I've been feeling kinda down lately and I wanted to talk to you," I sighed. I began to approach my apartment building and I sped up my pace so I could talk to Mama in private. Unlocking the door to the building and unlocking my apartment door, I shut the door, relocking it and throwing my keys on the couch.

"Well, tell me what's wrong." I had to think for a bit. How could I word this properly? I didn't want her to get too worried about me. I cleared my throat and sat on my speaker box by the window.

"U-Umm, well… Have you ever been with a guy that left and it felt like he left with something? Like… when he was actually gone… you never really realized how much of an impact he left on you until he really left?" I worded awkwardly. I was fidgeting all while saying it. I, myself, couldn't even understand why I was feeling so down. It was like a part of me had been missing for these past two months. I couldn't put it into words. Soul was only supposed to be an accomplice, but… when he left that night, it felt like it was something more than that. Like he meant more than just a person I had known from my childhood.

"Yes, I have. Your father," Mama answered. I gasped.

"P-Papa?"

"Yeah. We were together as crazy teenagers. Everything felt so carefree and laid back. It was like nothing was ever gonna change… but then… your Papa started cheating behind my back. Leaving him was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do, because not only was I still in love with him, but I had to leave you behind as well. I cried every night for months. How couldn't I have seen it sooner, I thought. If only I had paid closer attention and if only I wasn't so laid back and carefree, I probably wouldn't have had to leave everything behind," she explained, pain hidden within her voice.

I guess I never saw it that way before. Mama had to have still loved Papa. They were together for so long, how could she not love him? After Mama found out about Papa's cheating, she picked up everything and left. She didn't tell us where she was going, she didn't leave a note or anything. All she left was half-filled out divorce papers and the occasional postcard from wherever she had traveled to. Maybe she saw it as the only way out…

"Mama, I'm so confused," I broke into tears as I struggled to piece my feelings together. I was a rollercoaster of emotions for the past two months and who else was there to blame but Soul? _Damn, Soul for leaving!_

"Ever since he left, Mama, I've been crying nonstop and I've been angry and hurt and confused and I… I just can't figure out why! I don't know if he's coming back and even if he does, what would I say to him?! Things'll be so different when he comes back because I-… Because I… I just don't know!" I cried out. Mama listened patiently as I ranted. A silent pause.

"Maka, it's okay to not know. You don't have to figure everything out all at once. If he comes back, then that'll prove that he needs you just as much as you need him. If not, well then, the both of you will just have to find your own happiness and learn how to live without each other. Right now, you need to focus on yourself and what you want because at the end of the day, you're the only one that can decide your own happiness and what you make of it, my dear," she comforted in her motherly tone. I wiped my tears and felt my heart flutter as she spoke of him 'needing me as much as I need him'.

 _Could that really be true? He does need me, for sure, but… could I be hurting so much because… I need him as well? That would explain why my heart has been aching every time his name crossed my mind. It's because he left me in a state of need. I needed him to be with me that night, but he only turned on his heels and walked out on me. Soul… could it be…_

"Mama… Thank you," I whispered into the phone. Mama giggled softly.

"Anytime, Maka. Keep your head up. I'm sure that everything will become clear with time. Look at your Mama!" we both laughed together.

"I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, Maka. Don't ever forget it. Alright, I have to go now, I just wanted to check in on you. Be safe, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Mama." We both hung up. I sat there on the speaker for a moment, looking out of the window. _Just keep your head up. It's not forever. I won't let it._

* * *

 _MEANWHILE_

 _NORMAL P.O.V_

"You got the cash, dollface? I don't give this kind of information for a cheap price. Pay up or get outta here," the shady, familiar man said, holding an envelope in his hands said to the young woman, sizing her up with his eyes. He didn't trust this broad. She had trouble written all over her face. The young woman smirked at the handsome, familiar man, known as 'Akane' as she pulled out a wad of cash out of her bra. She slapped the money down on the table in front of him and he slipped the envelope across the table. Akane counted the money as he rested back in his chair, his feet propped up on the table. He had no interest in this woman in the slightest and he wanted her out of his bunker, but a deal was a deal. He had the information, she was payin' for it.

The young woman opened the envelope and read the information contained within it, smiling deviously as she read the names on the piece of paper. One name popped out of her in particular. **_'Maka Albarn'._**

"This'll do. Thank you for your assistance," she thanked politely. She turned on her heels and swayed her hips, seductively as she walked out of the bunker and left with the information Akane had given her. Akane knew that had to have been a disaster waiting to happen, but that was none of his business. His job was to watch over how things unraveled, not to get caught up in the mix. He was merely a man dressed in black, watching carefully from the sidelines. Whatever happened in the process was not his problem… still, he hated playing dirty. He'd do it, but he didn't prefer it. _This should be interesting… and a good investment,_ Akane thought.

* * *

 _LATER THAT NIGHT_

Maka was going about her regular nightly schedule, taking her shower and preparing for dinner and then bed. She heard a knock on her door late at night, stirring up confusion within her. Who would be visiting her this late at night? In her gym shorts and a baggy t-shirt, she answered the door, opening it slowly as she rubbed her hair with a fluffy white towel. Behind the door were three policemen. Her eyes burst wide open in surprise.

"Ms. Albarn, I'm afraid that we're gonna have to take you down to the station for some questioning. Comply and we won't have any issues," one of the policemen reached out to grab Maka's arm and she took a step back. She glared at them with a look of fright.

"Woah, woah, wait a minute! Why do I have to-. HEY!" she protested as two policemen picked Maka up off of the ground. She pounded on their backs, kicking her feet all while yelling at them to release her. The policemen closed the door behind Maka and left the apartment building. The cops threw Maka in the back of a cruiser and closed the door on her as she screamed for someone to help her. The three policemen took off to the station with Maka in the back seat of their cruiser.

 _ **A/N:**_ **I know we all hate cliffhangers, but I'm pretty sure that you guys can guess what's gonna happen next (; So what do you think? Do you think Maka needs Soul just as much as Soul needs her? I don't know! :D Looks like we're just gonna have to find out in the next chapter ;D I'll work on it right away. I think you guys'll like it :D Who was that woman that visited Akane? ;0 There are three possible women that it could be, but I think we all know exactly who THIS woman is (; I know this chapter was a little short, but I guarantee that you're gonna love how all of this pulls together :D Stay updated because I'll see you VERY soon (; Happy reading and stay beautiful! ~ Laurnea**


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N:_** **** **Chapter Eight of Mama, I'm in love with a criminal is underway! YES! Let's get this thing started, alright?! We've got a short chapter ahead of us, so let's get right into it! DISCLAIMERS: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! R &R! :D**

 _CHAPTER EIGHT:_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

"Ack! Do you wanna explain to me why in the hell you had to be so goddamn rough with me?! Jeez! You can at least explain yourselves first before you go throwing people in cruisers!" I scolded as they threw my into a cold, metal chair in front of a cold metal table that had only one bright light hanging over it. This was the interrogation room that they put me in and let me tell you, if they wanted me to talk, they definitely don't act like it! Who treats people this way?!

One of the cops left the room as the others stood guard one either side of the door like I was some criminal. I had a pretty good guess of why I was brought here… Someone probably tipped off Soul again. _Just go with the story you told officer Azusa that one time. As long as you don't change up your story, you won't look suspicious._

As I waited for someone to talk to, I glared at the policemen and stuck my tongue at them. _Seriously! So much for being hospitable! If you're not sure that I'm an accomplice, then you shouldn't be throwing me around like a goddamn ragdoll, you damned idiots!_

Eventually, two men dressed in suits sat across the table from me. The guards were let out of the room to guard the room from the outside.

"Shall we begin, Ms. Albarn?" The older looking suited man smiled. I crossed my arms and sat back in my chair in defiance.

* * *

"I told you that I didn't let anyone into my apartment through my window! Why do you keep asking? Do you just like to hear yourself talk?" I scowled at one of the men. It probably wasn't the best idea to talk this way to an investigator, but he was getting on my nerves! The younger investigator kept glaring at me to try and scare me into admitting the truth. The older man opened up his briefcase by his seat and took out a portfolio. He searched through it and took out a photo, slapping it down on the table and sliding it over to me.

"Ms. Albarn, this photo was brought to our attention by an anonymous source just earlier today. Do you mean to tell me that this is not your apartment?" the older man asked. I looked at the photo and I tried to hold back a gasp. It was a very clear photo of Soul climbing through my window. His hood was up so it hid a bit of his white hair, but it was still just visible enough to tell that it was definitely him. I panicked inside, not knowing how to answer. Duh, that was my apartment and duh that was Soul sneaking through my window, but wait… do they have a date?

"Umm, when was this photo taken?" I asked matter-of-factly. The younger man's glare hardened.

"This photo was taken on April 24th. A Friday night. Recall anything?" he asked. _Hmmm… April 24_ _th_ _… the high school reunion! There's no way they can pin this on me because Soul snuck in my apartment while I wasn't home!_

"Actually, I do, investigator. That was the night of my high school reunion. You can look it up if you like and I have eye witnesses that can prove that I was there," I stated, leaning back in my chair again and crossing my hands over my chest. The younger man scoffed and tilted back in his chair as well.

"It says here that you were questioned on April 25th, Saturday morning; the next day, if you will, by one of our officers on any unusual activity occurring in the area. You reported that you have never came across criminal, Soul Evans. Correct?" the older man asked for clarification.

"Correct." I spoke almost unsurely, not seeing where he was getting with this. All I knew was that my palms were getting sweaty just talking to these blokes! I had to get the hell up out of here!

"Well, what would you say if I told you that we have proof that you're lying?" the older man asked, smirking. I furrowed my brows and scowled again.

"I'd tell you that I have no reason to lie, officer." The older investigator slapped down on the table Soul's portfolio, whipping through papers after papers to find what he was looking for. He made an 'aha' sound and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to me. I looked it over. It was Soul's activity log.

"If you take a look at the very beginning of the log, Ms. Albarn, you'll see that Mr. Evans was enrolled in the DWMA. Just as you had," he pointed out. _Damnit…_ The officer pulled another paper out that showed the roster for my class. There was my name. There was his name. My eyes widened, though I tried not to. _These guys aren't investigators for nothing…_

"And if you take a look at that, we have found information that proves that you both were enrolled in the same biology class, Ms. Albarn. So how could you have not known who Mr. Evans was or what he looked like?" the investigator pried. Both of them smirked, triumphantly. I darted my eyes from the paper to the two of them.

"What are you suggesting, Mr…"

"Mr. Callahan," the older man spoke.

"We're suggesting that there could be a possibility that you, Ms. Albarn could've been in cahoots with Mr. Evans due to the fact that the two of you once knew each other long ago. It's typical to want to help an old friend in need, isn't it?" I glared at the younger man dirtily.

"That again? Officer Azusa has already talked to me about this before. Soul Evans was a bully. A tyrant. Why on Earth would I want to help a felon like him? He has done nothing but torment me as a child! That is not a valid excuse for me to ever be in 'cahoots' as you would say with that man. I have not seen him since he disappeared 7 years ago, so if you two would be so kind as to let me go back home to return to the comforts of my own home, that would be great." I arose from my seat to dismiss myself, but the two investigators weren't having it. They both stood in my path, standing tall and intimidating. I shrunk in size before them.

"Oh, we're not finished here, Miss Maka. Take a seat," the younger investigator commanded. _This is gonna be a long night…_

* * *

"Haaaa… Well this is getting nowhere…" Mr. Callahan blurted out. The investigators were just about to give in. They both slumped in their chairs. They didn't have enough evidence to pin the accomplice accusation on me and it was starting to get late. I sighed as well, sitting back in my chair. _Finally… It's over…_ All of a sudden a knock on the door sounded and a police officer barged right in, handing a picture to Mr. Callahan. The two investigator whisper a conversation with the policeman and I grew on edge as they looked at the photo and then looked up at me. _Oh God… what now? Another tip?_

The two investigators smiled as they sat back down in their seats and the policeman closed the door behind him, standing right in front of the door and sneering down at me.

"Ms. Albarn, we just received another interesting piece of information that is gonna end the night for all of us. Care to explain what's going on in this picture?" Mr. Callahan asked with a huge, stupid grin on his face as he slid the photo slowly across the table face down. The younger man laughed deeply in his throat and watched my carefully. I was scared to pick up the photo and I'm pretty sure I made no attempt in hiding it.

I reached over for the picture and turned it over only to feel myself going numb all over. _This can't be happening… But how did…_ I looked at the picture again with a look of terror. It was a picture of Soul completely out of disguise as he is kissing me in my bedroom. It looked like a pretty intense and heated kiss. The two of us have our arms wrapped around each other and you can clearly tell even if our eyes are closed that it is the two of us. _This was taken that night. The night I last saw Soul… But how did… WHO WAS CREEPING INSIDE MY WINDOW?! Oh God, no… please…_

"T-That is…" I started, but couldn't say anything else. A tear escaped my eye and rolled down my cheek. My mouth was left moving, with no words coming out. I was completely numb again… They have beaten me.

Mr. Callahan motioned the guard closer to get a move on it and the cop did just that. He stood next to me and picked me up by the arm, handcuffing my arms behind my back. He lifted me up by my handcuffs and took me off to a holding cell until I can speak to a judge or a lawyer of some sort. You know, you never really realize how much trouble you can get into just be being an accomplice, but when I sat in that holding cell with a bunch of other accused people, I finally understood. And yeah… it was (pardon my French) a fucking bitch.

* * *

 _TWO DAYS LATER…7PM_

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

I wasn't too sure about this. How could I trust this man after all that's happened two months ago? It had to be done, I know, but I wish there were some other way that I could get information.

Yeah, you guessed it. I'm going to see the bastard himself; Akane. You might be wondering where I was all this time. I assume that you know that after my little incident with Maka that I left Death City and I haven't returned in two months. Yeah, it's all true. I did flee after what happened with Maka. I had to. Akane knew that I was getting involved with her. My best plan was to cut ties with her and lay low for a while to cover our tracks, but oh how wrong I was…

I approached Akane's bunker on the outskirts of Death City and I walked into a small room that he usually met his clients in. This place was pretty well hidden and it was pretty isolated as well, so it was the perfect meeting place. I used to come here every so often to check up on what's been going on with our families and the DCPD, but nowadays, I just had to wing it. I couldn't afford for Akane to rat me out and I couldn't afford to have Maka dragged down by the police department either. Right now, I was planning to get some information on the DCPD from Akane. You know, to see if they were patrolling or on the lookout for me. If the city was hot, then I needed to stay clear for a little while longer, but I _had_ to go back. I had some unfinished business out there.

I entered the small meeting room and there was Akane sitting in what looked like an interrogation room. There was only a chair, a desk and a light hanging above. _Talk about isolated… This guy has nothing in his 'office' but a chair and a desk. What a bum._

"Hello, Eater. You got the cash, right? I got all the information you need right here," he asked smugly. I threw a wad of cash at him (don't ask where I got it from) and he smiled up at me as he caught it in his hand. He unraveled the wad and started counting while he spoke slyly.

"You're in the clear zone for now, Eater. No one knows where you are and the DCPD has moved on to bigger projects at the moment. They're still tinkering around with your case, but they won't be expecting you for a few days now," Akane informed. I nodded stiffly.

"Great, that's all I need." I turned to head out of the bunker and to Death City, but Akane said something that caught my attention before I left.

"However, Soul, I don't think you'll be finding what you're looking for if you do go into the city," he said in a matter-of-factly tone. I turned back to him slowly and squinted my eyes. _How could he know what I'm after? Is he really telling the truth?_

"Maka? What about her? Did something happen in the city?" I asked. Akane tsked at me and rubbed his stubby little fingers together, asking for cash in exchange for info. I rolled my eyes and threw another wad of green at him. He laughed to himself and continued to speak. He sat up in his seat and linked his fingers together, staring dead into my eyes. Honestly, he was freaking me out. If something had happened…

"Maka was hauled in two night days and she was being held there for questioning. Someone ratted you guys out," he said, smirking. That sadistic motherfucker leaned in further and I glared at him. Him and I both knew who it was he was referring to. _Damnit! He really is a sick fucking bastard!_

"Right now, she's being held in one of their holding cells in the DCPD. She's lookin' at a few months in prison and a ruined criminal record." Akane sat back in his chair and lifted his feet up on the desk as he counted the money I offered him.

"WHAT?!" I shouted in outrage. I pounced over to Akane, grabbing him by the collar. This was all his fuckin' fault! If he hadn't given out the information about Maka and I then she would still be safe and sound at home! He ruined everything!

"What will you do? Flee? Or turn yourself in? Choices, choices…" he antagonized. I threw Akane into the wall and left the bunker, steam practically seeping out of my ears. I didn't know what my plan was or how I was gonna fix all this, but no idea I came up with off the bat was even logical enough to go through with.

I hid in one of the lone alleyways that not many people came across and I sat on the cold, hard ground thinking desperately on what my next move would be. _Damnit, I never wanted this to happen. Fuck! Shit! Goddamnit!_ I cursed at myself and ran a hand through my white hair, gripping at it tightly. _Maka got hauled in. She's in one of their holding cells. Does that mean that they've got her? That's got to be it. They would've let her go by now if they hadn't. Fuck… I've got to bust her out of there… But I don't want her to bear the same burden as me. It's all my fault that she even got mixed up with me. FUCK!_

I couldn't flee without Maka, I just couldn't. There was no way I was gonna leave her behind like that. If they've got Maka, they'll come after me soon. They've got the both of us cornered… _I guess I could try and make a deal with Julia and her family, but Julia's only after money, she's not gonna help anything. She'd probably just threaten me and turn me in with Maka. Then both of us would be screwed… Haaaa._

"There's only one thing I can do…" I whispered to myself, pushing myself off the ground. _I can't let Maka fall like this. Not now. I've got to do what I can and if this is the only way… Then so be it._

I emerged from the alleyway and started walking towards the city. Death City. The city where everything went wrong. The city where everything was about to go right. The city where Maka could live peacefully after tonight. She won't have to worry about anything else anymore. She could return to her normal everyday life. She won't have to worry about checking her surroundings anymore. Tonight is marking the end.

* * *

I reached the edge of the city and began to walk towards the main center of Death City. People looked at me as I moped through the street, looking only at the ground before me. _This is it._ I removed my hood and looked up at all the bystanders so they would see my face clearly. _This is for the best._ I walked slowly, one foot in front of the other. _I won't regret my decision._

"Is that Soul Evans?"

"That's him! That's the man who robbed my store!"

"Do away with him!"

"Get out of our city, you monster!"

Civilians from left and right gathered around making a commotion. Just what I wanted. A few police officers noticed the crowd gathering behind me as they called me disgusting names and threw cans at me. It's obvious why they would hate me… I was made out to be a monster who raped women, stole from aristocrats and beat musicians. That's what they saw me as. A menace to society. And they had every right to believe in what they heard.

"Halt! You're coming with us!" the police gathered around me in a large circle. I was in the middle of the circle, looking into every single one of the surrounding police officer's faces so they would see that I was the real deal. Next thing I know, I kneeled down on the floor slowly and placed my hands behind my head in surrender.

Two policemen came up behind me and handcuffed me, pinning my face into the ground. I did not resist at all. I let them take me. Take me to Maka… Let her be safe. _Yeah… this is for Maka. You won't have to suffer to be with me anymore. I'll make sure that you'll have nothing to do with me after this and you'll be able to go back to life as you knew it. I'll stay where I belong… behind bars. I've done some crazy things, but now is as good a time as ever to atone for what I've done. I'm sorry I had to bring you into all this Maka… I really am. And another thing? Remember how I always promised to keep you safe? Well, this is me keeping that promise… because… Maka… I love you._

The policemen hoisted me off of the ground and roughly threw me in the back of one of their police cruisers. The crowd that had followed behind me was chanting happily to see me being taken off for the first time in seven years. _This is all for you Maka. I'll serve my time if it means keeping you safe._

"Where's Maka?" I whispered to the cops. They scoffed at me. They refused to answer me.

"Fine, then let me ask you this question: Is she safe?" I asked a bit louder, almost as if I was demanding to know. One the policemen turned around to me and looked a bit sterner. He paused for a minute, but then decided to answer.

"Your little girlfriend is fine. You're the one who ain't gonna be," he spat. It was something… As long as she would be safe, then this wouldn't be for nothing. _I'll make everything right again. I just hope that after all is said and done, you'll come visit me every now and then, tiny-tits._ I chuckled to myself quietly and smiled. Isn't that weird? Smiling on your way to jail? Ha… Well I guess if you know that it's for a good cause, then it ain't all that bad. Hey, since you're going, can you be sure to let Maka know one thing for me? Can you tell her that I said that 'we will meet again?' Just let her know next time you see her, 'kay? Take care, you guys.

 _ **A/N:**_ **Don't you worry guys, this is NOT OVER. We still got a lot of unanswered questions to answer, so don't worry, this isn't goodbye! OMG Soul just turned himself in! After seven years of evading the police, he finally decided to give himself up to the police. But what is he planning?! How is he gonna save Maka?! Do you think he can really do it, you guys?! And what about that sneaky photo of Soul and Maka kissing?! I think we can all guess who got THAT one. I mean, c'mon it's so obvious! Alright, well, I'm off to start off chapter 9 so I'll see you guys very soon! Happy reading and leave a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N:_ Hello, everyone! I know it's weird to get this new update notification and then have it be the same chapter. There was something wrong with the Chapter Nine update that I posted a few hours ago so I'm reposting it. Let's hope this works! This is another fairly short chapter, but I don't want to get into too much all at once. Let's take our time closing this series, okay? (; DISCLAIMERS: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! Happy reading! Leave a review! :D (:**

 _CHAPTER NINE:_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

 _Technically speaking, I've been in here for two days. To me, it feels like an eternity._ Time ticked, but for me it seemed to have stopped altogether. I wanted out, but the only _out_ that I got was the call for a two-minute phone call once a day. That's how I've been keeping track of the time I've spent in here. So far, they've called me twice to make a quick phone call. Not that it mattered either way. Mama was long gone and Papa was hung up at work all the time so who else would there be to call?

"Albarn, make your phone call. You've got two minutes. Hurry it up," one of the guards instructed as he messed with the locked cell door. _Looks like I don't have a lot of time to figure that out._ I hoisted myself up off of the metal bench inside my cell, echoing with the sounds of jangling keys and creaking metal. For the third time, I continued my walk of shame next to the unforgiving policeman all the way up to the phone. He handed me two quarters and stood guard next to me while I contemplated on which number to dial.

 _Mama's out of the question, Papa would freak out if I called him and he'd only end up getting me into my trouble, knowing him… I guess I could try to call one of the girls. Maybe Tsubaki?_ I confirmed my decision, inserting the quarters and dialing the numbers to Tsubaki's cell.

 _Beeeeeeeep… Beeeeeep-._

"Hello?" Tsubaki answered. Though I was filled to the brim with joy to hear a familiar, comforting voice, I felt guilty at the same time. I didn't want to drag her under the bus with me, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Tsubaki! Tsubaki, it's me, Maka!" I exclaimed.

 _"Huh? Maka? What is this, where are you calling from?"_

"I don't have time to explain right now, Tsu. Listen, I'm at the police department right now. They've got me locked up in one of their holding cells. I know it's a lot to ask and I know it's all really confusing right now, but could you bail me out? I have no one else to ask. I'll explain everything once you get here and don't worry, I'll return to favor," I begged. She didn't hesitate to answer.

 _"I'll be there as soon as I can. Give me a few minutes and I'll get you out of there, don't worry."_ I could've cried right then in there out of relief.

"Thank you so much, Tsu. You don't know how much this means to me. I'll see you soon, bye!" I hung up the phone.

As soon as I turned to the police officer beside me, I heard shouting from out front. I paused for a minute to see what all the commotion was about, but the police in charge only pushed me along. Before I could find anything out, the man threw me back into the holding cell, closing the bars behind me, nonsensically loud. _Honestly, I'd hate to see how they would treat an actual felon. It's gotta be brutal if this is how they're treating me!_ I huffed and crossed my arms. Next thing I know… **_BANG!_**

 **** _"Get the police chief out here. He's gonna want to see 'im!"_ A door slammed open at the front double-doors of the station. To my curiosity, I looked through the metal bars of my holding cell to see what was going on. Right then, a flurry of different emotions started to bubble up inside of me. _It's him!_

 **"SOUL!"** I called out on instinct. The policeman that had called for the police chief was holding up a bloodied, beaten, handcuffed Soul in his left hand. Soul's head was lowered, but telling from his expression, he looked defeated. Standing to the left of that man, he was completely still for the most part. He waivered back and forth, probably out of dizziness from getting tossed around by the cops, but he was still.

Hearing my voice, Soul snapped his head up to look in my direction. Seeing his face, I began to tear up. How could they have treated him like this?! Why was he the one suffering? Couldn't they see that he was already hurt enough?! When would enough be enough for those bastards? _Don't hurt him anymore than he already his! Running around for most of his teenage years, fending for himself all alone! He doesn't deserve to be treated like this!_ I ran up to the bars of my cell and I reached my arm out between the cold, stubborn metal for Soul. His eyes were clouded and he looked broken. It terrified me! The tears that lined at my eyelids began to drop. Then… his expression softened. _'I'm alright. I can take it, don't worry about me'_ his eyes said. But I couldn't accept that!

"Soul! SOUL!" I called out louder.

"HEY! Shut it up in there!" one of the guards commanded. He stomped over to me and tried to push me back into my cell, but I refused to budge. Out of the corner of my eyes, though the picture was blurry from the numerous amount of tears, I saw the police chief and a couple other cops walking behind him as they approached Soul. They tackled him! Threw him to the ground and pinned him down, one cop kneeling on his neck! Soul sat there and let it happen, but I fought for him. I pushed against the bars even harder, defying the guard who tried to handle me.

"No, stop it! Plase! Don't hurt him anymore! **SOUL!** " I pleaded in agony. But then… he looked over to me… and smiled again. He could barely speak, though I heard his words as clear as day.

"It's okay, Maka. I'll be fine. Everything's gonna be fine, ya' hear?" he said, struggling to breath as the cop kneeling on him pressed his knee further into his neck. I clenched my eyes closed, not bearing to see him like this anymore, but I had to force them back open again. There was a chance that I'd never see him after this, so even if he was in pain and there was nothing I could do about it, I had to let him see me. Just this once if not ever again. I lifted my head, sniffling and sobbing. Then, I nodded. I had to trust him. I had to be strong. This went against all my morals to leave him like this, but there was nothing I could do. He had to take over from here.

The three policemen and the police chief lifted Soul off of the ground after fully restraining him and they urged him forward into an adjacent hallway. They were taking him away…

"That's a good girl. We'll see each other again. Promise." Those were his last words before he completely disappeared from my sight. My knuckles whitened as I clenched onto the now hot bars of my cell. I heard the echoing sound of a door slamming from the hallway Soul disappeared into and all the strength left my body at once.

My grip loosened and I snuck to my knees on the dirty, hard floor, sobbing for more reasons than one. Reason number one: _What am I gonna do once I get out? Soul's here! I can't leave him behind like this!_ Reason number two: _Why is Soul even here? He should've left Death City by now, so why is he back?! He's evaded the police for seven whole years and NOW he wants to get captured?!_ Reason number three: _Soul was hurt. Those damned policemen keep hurting him, FOR WHAT? They beat him until he was a bloody mess, but what had he even done to deserve this?! Yeah, maybe he stole clothes and food to survive on his own, but other than that, what could he have possibly done that deserved him this kind of treatment?! They can't do this to him!_ The reasons just kept piling up and the more they did, the more helpless and vulnerable I felt.

My tears continued to fall endlessly for a few more minutes, but after a while, I heard the sound of jangling keys again. I looked over to where the sound was coming from. The police was opening my cell. Behind him was Tsubaki. _She really came for me._ Tsubaki stepped into the now wide opened cell and she held her hand out to my depleted form.

"Come on, Maka. Let's go home," she spoke softly. Her expression looked empathetic as she watched me wipe my tears and sniffle away, softly placing a limp hand into hers. She and I walked hand in hand out of the police department and the cab waiting out front that she had arrived in returned us to my apartment. The ride was silent; I was still trying to get a grip on myself as we rode further and further away from the DCPD… the place where Soul as being kept. Tsubaki consoled me, though she didn't know why I was sad. It was alright though. My tears would dry at some point, but not while the memory of his beaten, defeated form was still fresh in my memory.

* * *

Tsubaki and I arrived to my apartment (that was still lit from two three nights ago when they hauled me in. Those bastards couldn't have at least turned off the lights?! I'm gonna have to pay for that you know!). Tsubaki took a seat on my couch, while I returned to the kitchen (the unprepared dinner was still waiting for me on the counter… again, may I say… THOSE. DAMN. BASTARDS.).

"Okay, Maka. Time to fess up. Why were the police keeping you held in a holding cell? What happened?" Tsubaki asked sternly. It was natural for her to want answers and I didn't keep myself from answering them… It was only a matter of how to put it.

After throwing out my now spoiled dinner, I turned off the kitchen lights and sat at my regular seat on the speaker system. Tsubaki watched me as I stared off into the dark Death City, mindlessly. _How am I gonna explain this so she'll understand? I guess it'd be best to come clean. Everything is already out in the open, so I don't have to hide anymore. Especially not after what happened at the police station when I saw Soul. The police are sure to know that we had something… Ya' know… Even if we didn't… right? ANYWAY, explaining to Tsubaki. Right._

"Soul Eater Evans, Tsubaki. He happened," I started off with a whisper. My thumbs twiddled as I spoke. Tsubaki waited patiently for me to divulge further. I didn't dare look at her while I confessed my crime.

"They hauled me in because they suspected that I was aiding Soul while he was in hiding. They believed that I was keeping him hidden here at my apartment."

"…but that's ridiculous! What kind of evidence would they have even have to back it up? We haven't seen Soul in seven years so how could-." I cut her off in the middle of her denial. I know that's what she wanted to believe, but the truth is…

"It's not as ridiculous as you may think, Tsu." I completed, managing to look at her. She looked deep into my eyes and I could tell that from her widening eyes, she had finally realized what I was confessing. She said nothing back. I looked back down at me folded fingers and I smiled remembering our first night together after seven years of hiding.

"I was confused at first, too. He just came out of nowhere on the night of the reunion. Funny, huh?" I chuckled half-heartedly.

"We had just started talking about 'im for the first time in years and suddenly, he shows up in my apartment when I came home? What a coincidence, huh? Man, I remember the first night like it was just yesterday… At first, he broke in, not even knowing who I was. He was talking to me like I was some pretty girl on the street that he was trying to pick up… and the whole time, I couldn't stop thinking about how he hadn't changed a bit since I last saw him…" I laughed and shook my head. Tsubaki was still and silent, but her eyes felt heart-warming. Must've felt bad for me or somethin'…

"But he changed my mind, Tsubaki. He was honest, he was always making me laugh… Yeah, maybe he had some secrets to keep and of course it bothered me, but now… Now I see why. He did it to protect me…" I began to tear up, looking up from my folded hands and out to the city that had turned their back on Soul when he needed them most. Were they gonna turn their backs on me now? Eh… Who cares? A few drops fell down my face for the hundredth time tonight.

"…but look at me now. I'm sitting cozily in my own home while he gets the daylights beaten out of him for god knows what. Some claim that hasn't even been proven… Some crime that he hadn't even committed. He doesn't deserve this!" I protested. Tsubaki moved closer to me and she held out her hands to my shoulders, rubbing them like she had the night that I cried to her about my ex.

"All he ever does is protect me. He's always put his neck out for me even when we were kids, but why?! Why can't I do the same? I want to return the favor… I want to protect him, too, Tsubaki! I've come to know Soul unlike I ever would've imagined and I know that he never would've committed his crimes if he hadn't been pushed to do it. I don't want him stealing just to get by anymore… I don't want him having to hide out in alleyways to find shelter… I don't want him suffering anymore!" I cried, leaning into Tsubaki's arms. She hugged me tightly, rubbing my back. There was a long pause. But then…

"Maka…" Tsubaki whispered, back in her motherly tone. I retreated from her arms for a little bit to wipe away my tears and keep a grip on myself in front of her.

"Sorry! I'm sorry… I don't know why I've been crying so much and I don't know why I care so much about 'im… But either way, it doesn't involve you. So I'm sorry that I've dragged you into this," I apologized. It was the truth. I don't wanna involve outsiders because this problem is too big for all of us to handle. I knew deep down that there were going to be consequences, but that was my own fault. All we could do was accept them and atone for our crimes. There was no saving us, so everyone might as well just stay away… but Tsubaki wasn't going to accept that. She clung onto me once again.

"Maka, listen to me. I believe you. I may not know the stories, let alone the truth, but you forget that I also knew Soul growing up. Also, by the way you were talking about him just now, I can see that you've put a lot of trust in him. That says enough already." Tsu smiled down at me after I finished crying.

 _She's really always there for me, isn't she? 'You've put a lot of trust in him' she says… That's true, I suppose. He did save my life once before, so why shouldn't I trust him? Oh, Soul…_ Tears welled up in my eyes once again and I slammed my head back into Tsubaki's chest, letting them fall for hopefully the last time.

"Oh, Tsubaki! I can't stand it! I don't know what I'd do if he went to jail for a crime he didn't commit! They can't just throw him away like that!" I whaled.

"It's out of our hands, Maka. This is something that Soul and his family needs to work out. We can't do anything at this point. For now, you need to worry about what you're gonna do to get out of this mess," she spoke truthfully. I was well aware that I had my own problems and if Soul was going to face his problems, then I would too… Because I have no regrets. I do not regret taking in a man in need and I do not regret getting involved if it meant helping him get where he needed to be. He needed me and I was there. I did my job and I was content. What did I have to feel sorry for? If they wanted to punish me for it, so be it. I wasn't going to be a coward about it.

I released Tsubaki and she did as well, still holding onto my shoulders as we looked into each other's teary eyes. I nodded, she smiled.

"I'm not ashamed of what I did, Tsu. I'm glad I was able to keep Soul protected, even if it was just a few short times… so I'll face whatever consequences they throw my way." Tsubaki rubbed my back and smiled sadly.

"In that case, I'm very proud of you… Don't worry, Maka. I'm sure you'll get to see Soul again, so stay positive, okay?" I nodded my head and hugged Tsubaki one last time. After we parted, she got up from her seat and turned to the front door.

"Now, I have to go. I left without saying anything to Black*Star when he was over, so he's probably gonna be worried. Call me if you need anything," she said, waving her hand goodbye. I waved back and watched her go off, closing the door behind her. _What's gonna happen now? …I sure hope Soul's holding up alright…_

* * *

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

The police chief dragged me down the hallway of the station to ya' know, go through the whole procedure and all that crap. It sucked to see Maka crying like that; I must've looked pretty bad. The worst part about coming to this damn station was that I had to see Maka in this state. Yeah, those police weren't as nice as I thought they'd be. Granted, I stayed silent and refused to answer them in any way until I was at the station, but that was my own right. They roughed me up a bit once they took me out of the back of the cruiser and yeah, it hurt, but not as much as it did when I saw Maka behind those bars, clinging to freedom. _I don't think I've ever seen her act like that before…_

"Let's go, Eater. Fingerprints!" the police yelled, slamming a heavy door behind us. They sat me in front of this glass window with a woman sitting behind it. She gave us the papers to fill out and the policemen snatched it up. They saturated my fingers in black ink, smearing each one on the slip of paper and they filled out the information as they asked me questions.

"Name."

"Soul Evans."

"Address."

"Well, it _was_ 42 Death Hills…" The cop scoffed and scribbled the information in. They continued asking about my birthday, phone number, social security number. Yeah, you get the point. After that long process, the cop shoved me in front of a camera for a mugshot. Front. _Click._ Side. _Click._ Then the police chief came in and roughly snatched me up by my arm, yanking me along to the adjacent room where they patted me down, took whatever was in my pocket in a body search. Kids, learn from my mistakes and don't **_ever_** do anything so stupid that you'd have to go through this, 'cuz let me tell ya', it's not a very fun experience!

"Alright, Eater. Why don't you spend a little time in here to think about what you've done while we make some arrangements," the police chief mocked as he led me back out to the front where the holding cells were. I expected to find Maka in the cell where she had been when I first arrived, but she was nowhere to be found. As the police chief unlocked Maka's old holding cell, throwing me inside, I looked around to see if there were any signs of her. None.

"Where's Maka?" I croaked out. I was still in a bit of pain from the thrashing those cops gave me earlier. The chief scoffed and closed the barred door behind him, locking it tight.

"Seems you're little girlfriend's gotten herself bailed out. But don't worry. I'm sure she'll be back again, no thanks to you," he spat, laughing as he placed his keys back into his pocket, walking off to his office. I scoffed, heaving down onto the metal bench where Maka once sat. _We'll see about that, old man. I didn't come here for nothin', you bastard._

I sat there in silence, wiping the dried blood from my face and thinking over what my next moves are going to be. _First, I gotta find a good enough lawyer. I've got a plan in mind that should work, but I need to get in touch with the professionals first and I'm not takin' no for an answer… I DIDN'T just come here for nothing after all._

 _Hmmm… So this is what it's like, huh? Being in a cell… Well, I'd better get used to it. I've got a lot of time to spend in one of these._ I didn't think I'd have much luck trying to beat my parents in this court battle. They had a lot of advantages and luxuries that I'd never be able to get my hands on, so there was no point in denying that I _would_ serve some jail time even if I were to clear my name… None of it mattered to me. I didn't turn myself in just because I wanted to… I did it for something more important than that. Something that I wouldn't mind serving life for. _Damn this girl! She didn't do anything special at all, yet she's got me servin' time for her! Jeez! … Well I guess it's kinda my fault that she got in this mess in the first place. If I had just stuck to what I said on the first night about only staying the night, then maybe we wouldn't have gotten it to this point…_

The recollection of our first night made me chuckle a bit to myself. That earned a few dirty looks from the guards, but I didn't really care. _Man was she upset that night… She even yelled at me when I bumped into her on the street earlier that night. Somethin' must've had her pissed off. Hmm.. Well I guess she did say that she went to the high school reunion that night. If I remember correctly, she wasn't exactly all that crazy about the students that attended the DWMA. She was friendly, but she stayed with her own little group. Little, innocent, miss Maka… Ha, that's laughable now that you think about it. She's so far from innocent, it's crazy! She smokes like every day, she can swear like a sailor, she's always half-naked around me, mind you, I'M A MAN… She's bold, I'll give her that. Damn, I missed her._

My wandering thoughts traveled to the last night we saw each other. You know, the night that I left her a couple months back. It made me upset. I can't lie; I beat myself up pretty bad over that. I wish I hadn't left her like that. She must've felt so confused and angry with me for leaving her without so much as a goodbye or an explanation.

During these past couple of months, I decided to get away from Death City to a neighboring town. Of course, just because I lived in a neighboring town, it doesn't mean that I didn't have to lay low, but still. I decided that it would be best to leave Death City after everything that happened with Akane because I knew that if someone had asked Akane if I had gotten involved with anyone recently and they paid up, then he'd give them all that they would want to know. If I caused any trouble somewhere else, then I thought that Akane would follow up on my activity and update his information… But I guess that when the time actually came and someone (which I am pretty sure that you all can guess who) paid up for the info, he gave it out anyway… and now Maka has to pay the price. My plan had gone to shit after that. I was just planning to return to Death City too. I thought that Maka and I were under the radar… but when I went to Akane… well, you know the rest from there.

 _I guess I just underestimated Akane. Well, this is all my doing, so now it's my job to fix things. It won't be easy to fight that judge, especially when my mother and father's probably got him on their side, but I have to try._

I placed my head in between my hands and I rubbed my fingers into my scalp. _Who to call, who to call… Alright, I think I got it. I only got one shot at this, so I have to make sure that it counts. Time to make a deal._

 **A/N: Sorry I didn't check the update before! I'm gonna get started on chapter ten reeeeeally soon, so stay updated and stay beautiful my lovelies! :D ~Laurnea**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** **Yay! Laurnea updated Mama, I'm In Love With A Criminal! Here we are with Chapter Ten! I love how patient you guys are being with me (x I know I've been slacking on the updates, but now that I've got all the time in the world, I'll be updating much more frequently! And guess what... I PASSED MY ROAD TEST! Oh my gosh, I can't tell you guys how worried I was this time (x I was freakin' sweating bullets when it was all said and done and I was waiting for the instructor to mark my permit! When he wrote 'PASSED 1/22/16' I almost freakin' died on the spot! What an accomplishment! :D So pumped and ready to go now! LET'S DO THIS, YOU GUYS! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER OR AN OF THE SONGS CONTAINED WITHIN THIS STORY! Alright, now go off and start reading! (it'll be short, but I think you'll love it (; ) Happy reading! :D**

 _CHAPTER TEN:_

 _NORMAL P.O.V_

"So he went with the latter, eh? Tch… He's such a fool." The brown-haired, blue-eyed man rose up from his seat and slammed the newspaper he was reading off on down on the desk in front of him. He stared blankly at the bland walls of the empty room he isolated himself in.

He expected this much. He knew that Soul didn't have what it takes to leave everything behind. It didn't take him a professional and a little bit of sleuthing to figure it out. _She_ was his weakness. Valuable information; if the police hadn't already figured that out by now then maybe he could've sold that little tidbit of information for a price. But none of that mattered now. Soul was going to be locked away. For how long, you might ask? Who knows? It all depends on the way he goes about his plea in court. Could be years, could be months… Maybe the little bastard would even get lucky and he'd get no time at all. All Akane knew was that this was going to be interesting… _Very interesting indeed._

"Maka's been quiet for a while now. Let's wait and see what her next move will be. Will you fight, or will you flee?"

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we can't allow you to see Mr. Evans until after a trial has taken place," the guard informed. I clenched my fists at my sides and said nothing in return. All I did was turn on my heels and walk out of the facility with pure aggravation gnawing at me the whole way. _That was my third try! Why won't they just let me see him?! I thought that maybe if I came here at a better time, then maybe they'd be nicer about letting me see him even if it's just once, but I guess I can't fight the rules… Just walk away quietly, Maka…_

When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, shining down on a countryside, I squinted my eyes to locate Tsubaki and her little blue car. I held a hand over my eyes to shield the bright light. _She's just over there. Good, she didn't leave._ I walked my walk of shame over to the passenger side of her car and I hopped in, heaving a sigh of frustration. Tsu looked at me from the corner of her eye for a moment. I didn't look back, but I felt a look of pity smeared across her face. She started the car, putting the pieces together and we buckled our seat belts.

Hi there. I didn't get to properly say hello to you guys in the beginning, sorry about that. Right now, Tsubaki and I were leaving the State Prison of Nevada, where they were holding Soul until his case has been tried. It's been about a month since Tsubaki bailed me out of jail; a month since Soul has been taken in. This past month has been torture. No one has given me any updates on mine or Soul's case, no one has called me, and I haven't even contacted any lawyers yet… I'm completely in the dark about everything! It's annoying to say the least!

"Maka, I know it's not my place to say this, but you have to understand. There's nothing you can do. Soul's a wanted man. It's not gonna be easy to just walk in and see him whenever you want-"

"I know, Tsubaki…" I interrupted. _She told me so. I admit it._ I knew full-well that "Soul Evans' accomplice' couldn't just walk right in and visit him freely like others could. I'm a suspect. There was little to no chance that I would get to see him at all. Even so, though, I continue to try. Why? Because it's the effort that counts. If there was even a sliver of a chance that I'd be able to talk to him even for a few minutes, I had to take it. After all that happened, I _needed_ to talk to him.

 _Hmph. Why am I even doing this? How did I end up getting so involved with this guy? After what happened that night he left, should I really even be bothered with him? He left me, didn't he? I shouldn't have had any type of connection to him after that. Hell, I only let him inside my apartment like what, four times? Maybe five? We weren't even close like that… He never even explained to me his situation on how he got himself into this whole thing! All he told me was that he was 'framed'. I have a hunch that tells me that he's telling the truth, but other than that, I've got nothing. How would I even defend him when I don't even have solid facts and information to back my hunch up? The fact that I knew him as a kid? A lot can change within seven years; that's no good. Damnit… Leave it up to me to get myself twisted in this big mess._

 _Maybe it was because he saved me. I could've just wanted to help him due to gratitude… but c'mon now, that can't just be it. How about this? I wanted to help him because we go back? … Naaaah, that's definitely not it! He tormented me as a kid, so there's no way in hell I'd just be helping him because of our past! …Soul, what have you done?_

"Well, it's Saturday. Want to do anything before we go home?" Tsubaki asked, trying to cheer the mood. Taking note of this, I let go of my frustration and I sighed a little.

"There's nothing in particular I wanted to do, but I could go for a little shopping," I answered in a happier tone. For the sake of the people around me, I had to get it together. There was no use in blobbing around all the time in misery. The best thing to do in my situation was enjoy my freedom and take advantage of the time I have before the court date. _Stop overthinking these things. Just keep it together and deal with the situation like an adult; not a sniveling little child._

Tsubaki smirked and nodded her head.

"Call Liz and Patty and ask if they wanna join. They should be off of work today as well. We could have a girl's day out!"

I nodded and whipped out my cell phone. I began to dial Liz's number. _Beeeeeeeeep… Beeeee-_

"Hello?" Liz answered.

"Hey Liz, it's Maka. I'm with Tsubaki and we were planning to go out to the shopping district. Just wondering if you and Patty wanted to join. You in?"

"Yeah, we're in. Patty's in the shower right now, so I'll tell her when she gets out. Meet up at the same place?"

"Yeah, that's good. Alright, see you then." We both hung up the phone. Tsubaki looked at me questioningly and I nodded in response. She smiled brighter this time and picked up the speed.

 _This'll be good. A little distraction would be a good thing. Maybe when I have cleared my head a little, I'll be able to think of a rational solution to my problem. Let's just forget about it all for a few hours for once._

* * *

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

How much time has passed? In here, it feels like days are months. I've been isolated in my own little cell, away from the other prisoners and I work off of my own time. I sleep when I want, I eat when I feel like it… Lately, all that there has been to do is just sleep and wait around, so that's mainly how I spent my days and nights. Somewhere around the first week, I lost track of time. Not that it really mattered anyway. Not where I was.

You must be wondering if there was any progression with the case. Well, honestly, I'm not really sure yet. As soon as I was allowed access to a phone on my first few nights in jail, I called up an old 'friend' of mine. We met on one of my runs a couple years after I disappeared and he owed me a favor, so I figured that now would as good a time as ever to take him up on his offer. I told him my situation and asked if he'd get me a lawyer; a good one. He happily accepted.

I met with the lawyer a couple times. Some guy that went by the name, Justin Law. At first, I didn't take him very seriously because he showed up looking like some young blonde, blue-eyed priest with earphones that had his music on full blast. He wore a stupid, blank grin and introduced himself politely, but the sound of his rock music blasting through his earphones while I tried to greet him back was kind of annoying. After I talked to him, though, I found out that he's actually pretty serious with his line of work, despite his inappropriate tendencies to talk to people with earphones in. Oh well, so as long as he got me the results I wanted, I didn't care. He was a nice enough guy anyway and he was pretty talented with reading lips, so why bother?

When he showed up, I explained to him mine and Maka's situation and he did a little bit of a background check. He left that day and came back the next week, his brain chockful of information on the case, Maka's background, my background, my family's background, ya' know, all that stuff. I could tell he was gonna do just fine.

Skipping up to now, Justin and I have already met a numerous amount of times and I think we've got my plan down. He happily agreed to go along with whatever I decided, but I could tell he was a bit hesitant, seeing that the ending result would go against me. I didn't care much though. I've ran from this for so long. To continue running would be pointless at this point. People were starting to get involved and I can't allow that to happen. I don't want anyone else to take the fall for my actions. I chose to ran away, I chose not to defend myself, I chose to steal to survive… Those were all my decisions. No one else but myself is going to be held accountable. Honestly, I just wanted this all to be over. My family would go back to hating me and loving my brother, Maka would return to her regular, normal life in Death City, _she_ would leave me and my family alone to find another victim. And me? Well, I'll just live out my days in a lonely cell, atoning for the crimes I committed by choice.

I didn't care. Living out my days in a cell instead of skipping from city to city, state to state, country to country to get away sounded just fine to me. My freedom wasn't the only one at stake here and I couldn't be selfish. Not when it involved Maka. She was definitely gonna hate me after this… A part of me kind of wishes that she would. Don't get me wrong, it would hurt like hell this time around, but if she went back to hating me like she did before, she could return to how things had been before I came along.

It was my fault this carried out for so long. That night I first came to her, I only had the intentions of staying the night and never coming back, but I should've known better to trust myself to not come back to her. Who wouldn't after seeing the girl you used to have a thing for in high school for the first time in such a long time. Especially with the way she is now. Yeah, I admit it, I had a crush on Maka in high school. I never admitted it to myself because with the way I was raised, I knew there'd be no way we could ever be together. So I ignored my feelings, pushed her away, purposely made her hate me… I thought that maybe that way, I'd be able to get over her and live the way my parents wanted me to. To grow up and fall in love with a rich heiress, get married to her, benefitting both our families and solidifying our link by having kids with the woman… That's how I was _supposed_ to live. That's how I was _taught_ to live, but then Maka walked in. She wasn't particularly rich and she didn't have the benefits that my parents expected my girlfriend to have, but I loved her anyway. Who cares if she wasn't rich? I'd be able to take care of her even if she wasn't. Benefitting the family was the least of my worries… but then I got mixed up with the wrong girl and everything went downhill. How could I take care of her now? I could never give her the life that she deserves, even if I really wanted to. I'm no good for her. She'd be much better off with a man that isn't wanted all over. It kills me, honestly, but it's my responsibility to set everything straight and keep her safe. Screw my freedom. She's let off and she can live happily. That's all I care about right now.

"Eater. You've got a visitor. Mr. Law is here to see ya'," one of the guards hollered, waking me out of my peaceful sleep on my cold, hard bed. The cop jiggled at the bars after unlocking the door and he opened the door harshly. He stomped over to me, yanking me by the arm up out of bed. Without waiting for me to even clearly see in front of me, he pulls me along to an interrogation room. We usually use this room for our meetings when Justin drops by.

I was thrown into a room that was guarded by to guards on either side of the door. Justin was sitting in his usual chair in front of a table, across from another chair that was empty and waiting for me. The cops slammed the door shut as I brushed myself off and lifted myself off of the ground, groggily.

"Hello, Soul," Mr. Law greeted with a smile. Of course, like always, he wore his loud, booming headphones in his ears. S'whatever.

"Hey. Everything lookin' good so far?" Justin nodded with a settling smile.

"Everything's all settled. It took a little bit of persuading, but the judge is on board. You should know that he has already consulted your parents on the issue. They know as well." I nodded with satisfaction. I sat down in the empty chair across from Justin and slouched in my chair as we spoke. No need for formalities around each other. That was already made clear on the first day. I hate it when people act all stuffy around me. Reminds me of the old days, living with my parents.

"Soul, you're sure you wanna do this? You won't be able to take this back once the plan is in motion," Justin asked, still unsure about my agreement. I didn't hesitate to nod.

"I'm sure. I can't keep running from this and quite frankly, I'm tired of the whole thing. I just want this to be over as quickly as possible. Besides, if it means giving her back the life I took from her, it'll all be worth it," I murmured the last bit. I knew he heard me and it didn't really matter. He knew full well of my situation and the position I'm in. I wanted everything to be over and on my shoulders alone. I can carry the burden of dragging myself down, but if I were to take someone down with me, it would be too much of a hassle.

 _Maka's got a life out there; I don't. It was taken from me a long time ago. It was selfish of me to want to be there for her when I'm like this. She doesn't need me messing up her life. I just want her out of harm's way. This is the only way I can make sure that happens, so screw the consequences. This is for Maka. No one else; just her. Everyone else can go to hell._

"Alright… If that's what you want."

"Alright, then we're all good here… Do you have a court date?" I asked. I have heard nothing at all from the judge or the police, but after this agreement, they should've come up with a date by now. I've given them time.

"You've got two more months. The 24th. They're gonna have you sit tight here for a little while longer until then." I nodded in understanding. A silent pause. I broke it.

"Did you tell her?" Justin shook his head and looked down to his briefcase on his lap.

"Ms. Albarn doesn't know anything at all yet. I'm sure the judge is going to pass on the information, but I can take care of it if you would like me to." I frowned and looked down at my folded hands over my stomach.

"I want you to do it, Justin, but just please… don't tell her about this deal. Let her know about the court date. Tell her to come. I want to see her one last time before I go," I instructed. Justin bobbed his head one quick time. He arose from his uncomfortably cold chair.

"I'll let her know as soon as I get the chance. Is there any messages you would like me to pass on?" I thought for a minute, but nothing seemed good enough. Everything I had to say to her was too much to say over the phone. Especially through someone else. Therefore, I shook my head, still looking down at my linked fingers.

"Then, I guess we're all good here," Justin spoke as he walked towards the door. He stopped at the door and turned to say one last thing before he left for two months.

"Oh, and Soul? I thought that you should know that you're doing a very noble thing for Maka. There's no guarantee that after all is said and done, she won't be upset with you." I chuckled a little, smirking at her memory.

"Ha… I already know she will be. It'll be okay, though. She doesn't need to like me where I'm going." Justin said nothing back for a minute. I assumed he didn't know what to say.

"She's been asking for you, you know. Of course, you understand why she hasn't been allowed to see you," he offered a little food-for-thought. For some reason, hearing that made me feel just a little warmer inside. _She's still worried about me after all this time? She's free now; she should have no problem moving on. Ha… you don't miss me already, do you, tiny-tits?_

"Mmm… yeah. It's probably for the best that she doesn't see me. Not even after all this is over."

"It's entirely up to you. Well, I'll be taking my leave now." I grunted and turned my head to Justin.

"Mmm… See you in two months?" Justin smiled back at me and bobbed his head once more.

"Two months, it is." Justin opened the door and walked out of the facility. The cops came back into the room to take me away. They pulled me out of my chair and yanked me back out of the room, busting my shoulder into the doorframe in the process. I complied. I was thrown back into my cell, yelled at a bit about how the cops are gonna 'have fun watching me suffer' and how they think I'm all talk and no fight. I said nothing. I never had any desire to speak to someone who wouldn't listen; it would be pointless. Instead, I sat on my cold, hard bed silently. For the majority of the time I spent in that cell, I was completely mute. Never spoke, never complained… just endured. And I planned to do a lot more enduring after all was said and done as well.

 _They can say whatever. I can take it. Because I know why I'm here and I don't regret turning myself in for that reason. So I'll stay quiet. I'll endure. I'll endure as much as I have to. So long as my reasoning still stands. So long as she goes free, I will comply. Know why? Because I made a promise… and I intend to keep that promise. Besides… cool guys don't break their promises._

* * *

 _NORMAL P.O.V_

The sun was setting in Death City, Nevada. It had been a peaceful day for our characters. But things were about to get very busy. Very busy indeed. With Soul's plan in motion and with the judge beginning to take the necessary steps towards the trial, both parties had to prepare. And Soul was not the only one with ideas in mind. There was one other person who had been fairly quiet throughout this whole ordeal. One hidden in the shadows. The one person behind it all. The one who refused to sully her own hands to ensure that she wasn't suspected of deception. Because… if she had been suspected in the slightest bit… then all her hard work would go to waste. Now, she had to secure the outcome of her plans. She had to get a little dirt of her own so that she could deem her little scam foolproof… and she knew just where to get it.

 ** _CREEEEEEEK._** **KA-CHINK.** She waltzed into the bunker she had once visited before. The bunker she was not welcomed in. She and the big man himself were not very well acquainted with each other, but when it came to business, both of them were on the same track. She paid, he offered, she left and they never spoke again. That was how their business worked... with normal circumstances.

"Hello, Akane," she purred with a devious smile etched on her porcelain, spotless face. She whipped her long, straight blonde hair out of her face and behind her, cockily. The man she spoke to, sitting behind his desk with his feet placed upon his desk as usual glared at the woman and groaned. _Why did he have to put up with her again? It's bad enough that she has involved him this far in her little plan. Why should he even help her at all? Just because they have the same blood running through their veins didn't mean anything to him. He didn't care how much money she offered him. He loathed her. Wanted her out of his sight. Wanted her gone._ Akane sat up in his chair, leaning over his desk with linked fingers pressed to his lips.

"What do you want this time, Julia? I gave you all the information you needed. Take a hike, would ya'?" he spat. She giggled, not phased in the slightest by his cruel words. She smiled down at him with her matching light blue eyes piercing into his. The woman known as Julia sat in a chair, across from his, swinging one of her dainty legs over the other, giggling all the while.

"Awww, don't be so mean to me. Family helps family, don't they?" she pouted. He rolled his eyes.

"You don't consider me close any more than I do. Now talk," he commanded in a scary, boss-like voice. She smiled once more and slapped a large yellow envelope on the desk.

"That's the money, now give me the details. Soul Evans. All the places he has robbed, all the houses he has broken into, anything. Give me all of it." He knew why she asked him of this. He knew that she didn't have any true evidence against Soul and quite frankly, that wasn't his problem. Akane glanced at the yellow envelope thoughtfully. _Should he take the money and give her what she wants? She'll be putting another innocent man in jail, but at least he'll get what he bargained for. After that, it was none of his problem, right?_

"…No." He thought it over, but no matter which way he looked at it, he just couldn't seem to make it seem like he _wasn't_ helping her. If there is one person Akane hates most… it's Julia. He despises her. The way she always throws innocent people under the bus for such a fleeting substance. Money. That's all she has ever cared about. He likes to think of her as the cunning whore of the family. She was such a disgrace, yet she was given all the glory by their family. _How could she deserve it? Well he wasn't going to help her play the victim any longer._

"Aha…no?" she asked, unbelievably. She furrowed her brows and smiled, but Akane's demeanor was firm and stern. He meant it this time. He wasn't going to accept her money for his information. Besides, this was not his battle. However she planned to frame and accuse Soul was her problem, not his. She dug herself into this hole, but he wasn't about to throw her a rope. Hell no.

"You heard me. Now if that's all, then get out of my sight." Akane leaned back in his chair again, kicking his legs back up onto the desk. Julia scoffed and frowned.

"Akane, I'm your cousin. At least let that count for something! I'll pay you whatever price you want. Just c'mon, help me out here!" she whined. Akane scratched his nose and scoffed unaffectedly.

"I already told you; you mean just as little to me as I mean to you. I'm not getting involved with your little 'get rich quick' scheme so you can just forget it. You decided to drag yourself into court over this, so it's your problem. And quite honestly, I'd be much more interested to see how you plan to fish yourself out of this one on your own. Should prove to be pretty amusing." Akane smirked for the first time at Julia out of the corner of his eye. She gasped, not knowing how to respond to this. She stomped her foot and was preparing to defend her case even more, but Akane was not having it. He has had enough of her foolishness to last him two lifetimes.

"Now, **get out.** We're done speaking. Don't come to me again, Julia. I've got plenty of information on you as well that would drag you straight to the grave and I'm not above keeping it a secret." He waved her off like a bug. She scoffed again and could not come up with a comeback, so instead ran out of the bunker, out of a fit of rage. Akane heaved a heavy sigh. _'Her age really does show sometimes' he thought._ Akane rubbed the bridge of his nose and chuckled to himself.

He has never turned down an offer for info before. This had been his first time denying a paying customer what they were looking for. For it to be his cousin was astonishing. His little, juvenile cousin. Younger than him by only a year, but always acted like a ten year old. It always got her what she wanted though, so Akane could never hate on her for it. God did he hate her. She was such a selfish, self-absorbed brat who always thought she could get what she wants. She lies, she cheats, she deceives… Why couldn't people see this?! Why was Akane the only one who ever got to see the real face of Julia and actually live freely to speak about it?

Akane felt that it was kind of his fault. He never warned Wes of Julia's trickery. He never warned any of her past victims. He just watched the scenes unfold, quietly gathering the necessary background information and storing it away for whoever asked for it. But no one ever did. No one ever would. Who would ever suspect the dearest little cousin, Julia? The heiress to a large company who was bound to inherit a boatload of money? Why would she even need to scheme for cash? Akane could tell you. It's all about greed and boredom. She's a greedy, slutty little rich girl who has way too much time on her hands, that's why. It's like an addiction to her. It sickens Akane. How could a girl like that be so noble? So highly approved of? The whole thing was a joke. His father's brother's family was a joke.

Akane deeply sighed. He'd be hearing more of this from Julia for sure. She would certainly come to him again under the impression that he might've been blushing, but he was all too serious. He cut his ties. Now it's time for him to watch quietly from the sidelines. _Julia's on her own now… Let's see how she can handle herself and cover up her tracks without me…_

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

"You headin' home, Maka?" Liz asked. The sun was beginning to set and I was never really one to stay out too late. Especially these days. Lifting myself off of the bench in the middle of the shopping district where we usually sat, I grabbed my handfuls of bags. I nodded.

"Yeah, I think I should start on my way." I smiled at the unsure looking girls sitting before me. This had been the first time in a while that I actually even managed to get out of the house for anything other than grocery shopping and work. Truth be told, though, it felt a lot better, hanging out with the girls for a change. Maybe being cooped up in my home all the time wasn't the best medicine.

"Guys, seriously, don't sweat it. I feel a lot better after being with you all. In fact, being here has actually calmed me down quite a bit. Thank you," I assured, in a happier tone. Smiles slowly etched onto their face the longer they processed my words. Tsu stood up and gave me a warm, comforting hug.

"Thank you, Maka. We were really worried about you. You haven't been your usual self lately." I hugged Tsubaki back and Liz and Patty joined in a group hug.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just really confused right now, but I promise. I'm gonna get things back onto the right track. I got myself into this mess and I'll get myself out." The girls all smiled and made an 'aww' sound. Eventually they released me and saw me off on my way home.

The walk was short and uneventful. Things in Death City started to get quieter while everyone returned home from work and all the children came in for dinner. I unlocked the door to my apartment and walked in, unsurprisingly not seeing anything out of place while I was gone. Like always, I closed and locked the door behind me and threw my keys back into my purse. The bags that held all the items I bought in the shopping mall ended up being thrown onto my bed and forgotten.

 _It's so quiet in here. It wasn't always like that when-… AHH, I don't want to think about him right now. Maybe turning on the radio will clear my head._ Shaking my head clear, I walked into the living room and turned on my stereo, turning it up to full-blast.

 _AGAIN- FLYLEAF_

 _I love the way that your heart breaks_

 _With every injustice and deadly fate_

 _Praying it all will be new_

 _And living like it all depends on you_

 _Here you are down on your knees again_

 _Trying to find air to breathe again_

 _And only surrender will help you now_

 _I love you please see and believe again_

While the booming rock music blasted to every corner of my apartment, I took a laundry basket and sorted the clothes. I stripped down to my bra and panties and threw my clothes in with the load. _I guess the best part about all of this is that I get to have my privacy… Who am I kidding, you don't really mean that, do you?_

 _I love that you're never satisfied_

 _With face value wisdom and happy lies_

 _You take what they say and go back and cry_

 _You're so close to me that you nearly died, oh_

 _Here you are down on your knees again_

 _Trying to find air to breathe again_

 _And only surrender will help you now_

 _I love you please see and believe again_

I grabbed the largest basket of clothes and walked into my bathroom. I set the knobs on the washer machine and emptied the basket into the machine. All the while, I swayed to the voice of Lacey Sturm and got lost in the lyrics. I started to sing along and listening to the lyrics, my mind wandered to a certain man that has been on my mind quite a lot lately.

 _They don't have to understand you_

 _Be still_

 _Wait and know I understand you_

 _Be still_

 _Be still_

There hadn't been a day that past that I haven't thought of him since we got hauled in. I'll be honest, the invasion of my thoughts is more than a nuisance, but my heart is at war with my heart and my heart is winning. If only they knew what I knew… It's a shame that even his own family can't see what I can see. His own brother, even! Anyone with eyes can see that something isn't right. Something about Soul's story seems off, but nobody cares about that, do they? They just want to see him behind bars… but for what? Did his family really hate him _that_ much? Did they really think of him as such a nuisance that they couldn't even be bothered to clear their own son's name? A person tells them one bad thing about Soul and they automatically assume that it's correct? What a joke, so much for loyalty. Well, _I for one,_ believe in him. I can't put my finger on it, but something inside me… _wants_ to believe in him. Well, it's not like I could turn my back on him even if I wanted to. With all the time that's passed, I have come to find out that he means quite a lot to me. Huh… Never would've thought…

 _Here you are down on your knees again_

 _Trying to find air to breathe again_

 _And only surrender will help you now_

 _The floodgates are breaking and pouring out_

 _Here you are down on your knees_

 _Trying to find air to breathe_

 _Right where I want to be again_

 _I love you please see and believe again_

 _Here you are down on your knees again_

 _Trying to find air to breathe again_

 _Right where I want you to be again_

 _See and believe!_

The song came to an end and I sighed deeply, waiting for the cut to the next song. I laid my bare back on the couch where Soul and I used to sit and I rested my wrist over my eyes. For the sake of my sanity, I tried to keep my attention aimed towards the lyrics to distract my mind.

 **RIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGG.** The noise was muffled out a bit by the music blasting through the speakers, but I heard my phone ringing from my bedroom. The music was turned down to an acceptable level and I ran to grab my phone. On the screen was a number I did not recognize. Figuring that it may be someone from the court, I immediately answered.

"Hello?" I swiped the button to answer the call and greeted. An unrecognizable man's voice came through. He sounded serious, but calming at the same token. A breath of fresh air after all the people I've come into contact with since I've gotten hauled in.

"Hello, might this be Maka Albarn?" the man asked.

"Yes, this is she. May I ask who this is?"

"Hello, Maka. My name is Justin Law and I have been assigned the Evan's case as the Attorney of the Accused. It has come to my attention that you are familiar with my client, Soul Evans, am I correct?"

I gasped. A hand clamped over my mouth in a stunning realization. It hadn't really hit me since I hadn't been informed of all the details of the case and the court trial, but talking to this man made me realize that it is _actually happening._ This case is really being tried and Soul's freedom really is on the line. I did my best to compose myself and sound as professional as possible when I answered.

"That's right…" I muttered. Mr. Law laughed a little, probably sensing my lack of self-composure.

"I am aware of your situation with the court, Ms. Albarn and I have called to tell you that you will not have to worry about your case anymore. Everything has already been taken care of." _Wait… what? What is that supposed to mean?_

"Ummm… Are you saying that… I'm off the hook?" I asked, thoroughly confused. Why would they've made such a big deal out of the whole thing when I was there if they were just gonna let me go?

"That's right. Also, you don't have to worry about your criminal record. Everything has been cleared up, so everything is all good. You can go about your days as you would," he explained vaguely. I turned the music off to listen to Mr. Law over the phone. I was still completely confused.

"Wait. So does that mean that… Soul's been pardoned as well?" I asked. Mr. Law sighed heavily.

"Unfortunately, no. His case has been scheduled to be tried in about two months. You are free to come if you like. Actually, my client would probably prefer it if you were there." My heart sank. After all this time worrying over my case, I felt no better hearing his words. Was it because it was really Soul who I was worried for? Hearing Mr. Law's words, I felt a pang of hurt and sadness. Of course I would be there for Soul, but… what if he doesn't come home? What if he loses? Could I really bear to watch that? _I'm gonna have to for his sake._

"I understand… yes, I'll be there."

"Great. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. His trial will be held on the 24th, two months from now-"

"Mr. Law, please… Please help him. I know he didn't do what he was accused of… Please don't let them take him away," I pleaded desperately. I was shaking all over and my tears were practically free-falling. The lawyer was silent for what seemed like forever, but when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and sympathetic.

"…Ms. Albarn… I understand. You should get some rest, ma'am, this is a lot to take in..."

"Wait! …h-has S-Soul said anything? Y-You know… has he…" A part of me was hoping that Mr. Law would've brought along a message from his client, but another part of me was telling me not to get my hopes too high. Mr. Law laughed.

"I'm afraid I don't have any messages from Soul. Though, I can tell you this. Between you and me, I think Soul cares a great deal for you. Don't worry, he hasn't forgotten about you. I don't think he could even if he tried." I sniffled and smirked. My mind was put to rest hearing that and I had to thank the man.

"Thank you, Mr. Law."

"Please, call me Justin. Formalities aren't necessary."

"Well then, thank you, Justin."

"No problem. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a goodnight, Ms. Albarn."

"And you as well. Good night," we bid our goodbyes, hanging up the phone. My trails of dried tears were wiped away and I fell back onto the couch, laying back in the spot where Soul and I used to sit together.

 _Well, that's a few things off my chest… Wait for me, Soul. In two months… I'll get to see you again. You'd better win this case. What'll I do if you don't? How could I even return back to my normal life, knowing you're behind bars? In two months… the 24_ _th_ _… the 24_ _th_ _…_ That night, I drifted into a peaceful sleep for the first time in ages.

 _ **A/N:**_ **Yeah, I know, I know, that wasn't much, but hopefully it settles you guys for juuust a little longer (; Well, what about that CRAZY twist I threw in there ;0! JULIA IS AKANE'S COUSIN?! WAS AKANE IN CAHOOTS WITH JULIA THE WHOLE TIME?! We will just have to wait and see (; Poor Soul... ); It looks like he has given up all hope for himself. He's like a robot, never saying a word, but doing everything he is told to do without any resentment. Breaks my heart to see him like this ),; I can only imagine what it'll be like if Maka ever sees him again! Well, I think I've said too much, haha! I'll get started right away on Chapter 11! Where we will be holding the trial of Evans & Matthews vs. Evans! ;0 What will become of Soul?! What is Julia's plans now that Akane refuses to assist her?! WHAT IS SOUL PLANNING?! Looks like we're just gonna have to sit on the edge of our seats for a little while longer ;D I will see you all very soon so stay beautiful and stay updated! Happy reading! :D ~LAURNEA**


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N:_** **Here we are, FINALLY, it's chapter 11 of Mama, I'm in Love with a Criminal! This chapter is quite lengthy and it took me a long time to do. You'll see why (; There is a whooooooole bunch of talking in this chapter, so let's get into it! LET'S GO TO COURT, MY FELLOW SOMA LOVERS! DISCLAIMERS: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! Happy reading (; (THERE'S A SURPRISE MESSAGE FOR YOU GUYS AT THE ENDING A/N SO LOOK OUT FOR IT!)**

 _CHAPTER 11:_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

These past two months have been much more peaceful, given the circumstances. After that phone call with Mr. Law-I mean, Justin, I had made no attempts to contact or see Soul at all. With his court date coming up soon, I felt it would be kind of pointless to push things with the authorities anyway. There would be no use in trying to see Soul with such a pressing trial coming up so soon.

News got out to the papers a few days after I finally got the notice. Apparently, Soul's trial was going to be made open to the public and fully broadcasted. Why? I'll bet you it's his damn parents. Filthy rich snobs… No sympathy for them was going to be coming from me, I can tell you that much.

It was Sunday morning, the 24th just as Justin said. The trial was going to be held an hour after I got there, but I knew that this trial being public, it would be hard to get a decent seat inside the courtroom if I didn't show up earlier than the rest. Before I left the house, I dressed in a simply black dress, a black overcoat and black platform heels, tying my hair up into a bun. I left the makeup to a minimal for reason that you could probably guess. Hey, you never know.

When I arrived to the courtroom, one half of the room, supporting the plaintiff was practically filled. The defendant's side wasn't very packed, but I still, proudly took my seat on Soul's half. I received plenty of dirty looks from those against us, but I only stared forward with a blank expression. The only thing I was concerned about was Soul; that's who I was here for and that's who I was going to stand by.

 _Relax, Maka. He'll be fine. When hasn't he been? Just trust that he'll get out of this unscathed like you did. He's not one to give up so easily._ I took deep breaths as people continued to file into the courtroom. Many other people sat on the defendant's side along with me, but the number of supporters of the plaintiff was overwhelming. Time ticked, but it felt like hours before anything started to happen.

After what felt like forever, a group of people started walking down the isle of the court. Two fairly older ladies holding onto the arms of what seemed to be their husbands. The couples looked quite gaudy for a court trial. I assumed that they were the Evans and the Matthews. Behind them strode a smug looking young lady on the arm of a man. When I looked at this couple, I knew straight away who they were. The man was obviously Soul's older brother, Wes. He was just a bit taller than Soul, had long, shaggy bleach blonde hair and striking red eyes just like his brother. From the first glance, I could obviously tell that Wes was much more mature than his younger brother and he was much more proper. The typical rich, young violin player, I'm sure you'd be able to picture it.

The most eye-capturing view, though, was the brunette beauty on his arm. She had long, straight cascading locks swaying behind her as she held her chin up high. It was hard to tell from my angle, but I'm pretty sure that when she passed by, she had a slight smirk on her face. Her eyes were big and brown and she was fairly tall in her black strappy heels.

 _That has to be her. What was her name again? …oh, that's right. Julia. Julia Matthews. The girl that Soul supposedly 'forced himself upon'. She shouldn't be smiling so smugly. I know Soul isn't gonna make it easy for her to win this case. I'll be damned…_

Julia and her fiancé passed through the gates separating the audience from the stands. The two families stood in front of their seats at their table, their lawyer rushing to their side to speak to them. He murmured a few things to the parents and then they all took their seats. My eyes couldn't escape Julia the entire time though. Just knowing that this woman was the reason for Soul being here in the first place boiled my blood. She must've felt my burning gaze, for she turned around and searched the area for anybody staring. I didn't look away. She looked right at me with a confused stare for a moment, but then she must've figured out who I was because a devious smirk stretched across her face as she winked at me and slowly turned back to her front.

 _Ooh, what I would do to that woman if we weren't in court right now! Soul, you'd better make it out of this._

* * *

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

Earlier on the morning of my trial, the police transferred me to a holding cell in the bottom of the court the case would be tried in. It felt like hours before anyone came to give me any news. The cops had told me that Justin would be here soon to see me, but all I heard was a bunch of loud muffled voices and stomping heels from the floor above me. No one but the guards kept me company and believe me, that's not the kind of company one would "enjoy".

 _Today's the day. Finally we can get this thing over with. Someone should be coming by soon since all the people are starting to take their seats. Hm, I wonder if Maka's up there. Probably is. Good. She should probably see this first hand. Besides, I want to tell her one last thing before I go._

About a half hour later, a large creak of the door echoed in my lonely little holding cell. Two guards walked in with Justin following behind them. My eyes met his and he smiled at me with a hint of pity in his eyes. I didn't need it though. I didn't want it. I knew what I was getting myself into and quite honestly, I was ready for this all to end. I wished that the judge would hurry it up so we could all get moving.

The doors of my holding cell opened and Justin stepped in as well as the guards standing on each side of the opened cell.

"Ready to do this?" Justin asked looking down at me. I stood from my chair and heaved a sigh.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I answered in a monotone voice. Justin nodded and placed a hand on my back, leading me out of the cell. The handcuffs jangled behind me as I walked up to one of the guards. He unlocked the handcuffs and clipped them onto his belt loop. They pushed me along and brought me upstairs.

"You'd better not try anything, Eater," one of the cops whispered into my ear as they pushed me up the stairs. During the walk to the courtroom, I felt a pang in each step. My heart was shattering because I knew that Maka's reaction after today was going to break me in two. I couldn't bear to watch her cry, but it was bound to happen. Heh, she always was a little crybaby deep down. Before I was ready to catch a deep breath, we were at the doors of the courtroom. Behind this door was everyone who I had ever tried to avoid. Everyone that I used to have love for. Everyone I was leaving behind. Everyone I had ever betrayed… Would I really be ready to face them? Better be, because before I knew it, I heard the booming voice of the judge in his microphone echo from inside.

"Bring out the defendant!" the deep voice of the old man shouted. Two double doors in front of me snapped open and the guards started pushing me along the isle. My eyes shot wide as I was caught off guard from the amount of people present in the courtroom. Many scowls were directed my way from the plaintiff's side of the room and I think I even heard a couple of 'boos'. The booing started to grow louder when the judge tapped his little gavel, scaring people into silence.

"Order! ORDER! Or I'll have this courtroom evacuated," the judge threatened. All the people who had spoken out shrunk into their seats and remained quiet for the remainder of the time.

I looked to the other, less occupied side of the court in search for a green-eyed beauty that I haven't seen in three months. Since there weren't many supporters on my side, it was easy to find the woman I was looking for. There was Maka in all her glory, watching my every move up to the stand. Her eyes were wide and she looked like she was shaken with fear, but I only flashed a smile and kept moving ahead. The police moved me to a table to sit down at on my side of the court and Justin followed in suit. It was time.

"Mr. Mosquito, could you please present your opening statement?" the judge asked. An extremely short man with a long nose and a bushy mustache nodded in response and stood up from his chair, circling around to the middle of the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I would like you to direct your attention to my client, Ms. Julia Matthews. This young lady has been wronged. Violated. Betrayed. Her and her fiancé, Mr. Wes Evans are here to bring justice to not only their families, but to the entire state. Now, please direct your attention to my other client, Mr. Wes Evans. This man has also been betrayed. Assaulted by his own little brother, stolen from by his own little brother. Who would dare do such a thing to such kind, undeserving people? None other than Mr. Soul Evans. In this case, I would like to prove that Soul Evans is indeed guilty of sexually harassing Julia Matthews, assaulting Wes Evans, stealing over thousands of dollars' worth of jewels from Wes Evans and breaking into the homes of many innocent civilians who all but deserved to receive such treatment from the likes of a once juvenile boy who has now developed into Death City's most hated criminal… that is all, your honor." The man named Mr. Mosquito glared at me one, quick time and headed back to his seat next to his clients. I did not dare look any of them in the eye. I knew that if I did, _her_ mocking eyes would only taunt me. I was only here to settle things, not to stir up more trouble.

Justin's turn was next. He waited for the judge's head nod and stepped to the middle of the courtroom as the plaintiff's lawyer had.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. We are gathered here today to settle things straight. For seven long years, my client has been running. Hiding. Evading our authorities successfully. Three months ago, he agreed that enough was enough. He willingly turned himself in and complied with whatever punishment he was to be given. Today, he will no longer run. Today, he will face his crimes. My client, Mr. Soul Evans is here to plead guilty to the court." With that being said, everyone began to murmur in the courtroom. The judge rapped on his gavel once again and demanded for order. When the courtroom returned to mute silence, Justin continued his statement. I resumed looking forward. From the corner of my eye, I could basically see Julia grinning in triumph. _Whatever, bitch. You won by default. Don't look so smug._

"My client is ready to take any punishment he receives. Let his judgement be fair." Justin finished up his statement and sat back down. I give him a firm nod and he sits back down next to me. From the back I can feel a set of eyes burning into me. I knew it was Maka, but I didn't have the strength to look at her right now.

"The Court will hear Mr. Mosquito's argument and the defendant shall then be tried. That being said, will the prosecuting attorney please call his first witness?" the judge stated. Mr. Mosquito nodded and stood at the front and center of the court.

"My first witness will be none other than Ms. Julia Matthews herself." Julia rose from her seat and walked up to the stand next to the judge. A police officer came up beside the smiling Julia with a hand raised.

"Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the police asked. Julia nodded and spoke an 'I do' before the police returned to his position. This made me a little edgy since I knew that neither of us would be telling the truth up there. Justin must've noticed and tapped me on the shoulder. I looked to him and he whispered.

"Don't worry. Perjury won't be a problem for you. It's her that should be worrying about it," he whispered. I nodded and took a deep breath, finally looking up to Julia's eyes who were directed at her father's. Her father looked at her with a supporting smile on his face and the whole time, I couldn't help but think, 'Wow, he really has no clue what kind of person his daughter is.'

"Will you please state your name for the court?" Mr. Mosquito started.

"Julia Matthews."

"What is your occupation?"

"I'm working as an apprentice under my father at his company."

"How old are you?"

"I am 23."

"Are you familiar with the Evans family?"

"Yes," she said smiling. I scoffed and listened on to the direct examination.

"Are you close to the Evans family?"

"Yes?"

"Who would you say you are most close with, Ms. Matthews?"

"Wes Evans," she stated, smiling at Wes and blowing the idiot a kiss. The judge cleared his throat and glared at the both of them. Wes shrunk in his seat and Julia focused her attention back on Mr. Mosquito.

"What is your relationship with Wes Evans?"

"He is my fiancé."

"Do you love Wes Evans?"

"Very much, so."

"What about Soul Evans? Are you familiar with him?"

"Yes, I am."

"Would you say you're close with him?"

"Not at all," she said bluntly. Mr. Mosquito nodded his head.

"That is all my questions for the direct examination, your honor,"Mr. Mosquito clarified. The judge sat back in his chair and motioned with his hand to continue.

"Proceed with your cross-examination, Mr. Mosquito." The man nodded his head and looked up at Julia. She nodded her head after a period of silence and gave a serious look.

"Ms. Matthews, can you explain to the court what happened on the night of March 14th, seven years ago?"

"That night, I went to bed alone because my fiancé was out at the time. All of a sudden, while I'm sleeping, I wake up to Soul Evans in my bed, pinning down both my hands. I screamed at him and managed to escape his grasp somehow and then I ran into another room and locked myself in there until my fiancé returned home," she explained untruthfully. C'mon guys, does that really even SOUND believable? I think not. I continued listening to her story anyways.

"That must've been traumatizing for you. Did Soul try to pursue you at all after that?"

"No, I think I must've scared him off with my screams," she said. I wanted to laugh at how ridiculous she sounded, but I had to make this believable so that Maka would be spared. Yeah, that's right. I plead guilty, Maka walks home free. That's the deal. Now that you've figured it out, I bet Maka has figured it out too, huh? _I'm sorry, Maka. Please don't hold this against me._

I looked back at Maka in the crowd and I saw how angrily she looked at Julia up on that stand. _Heh, don't worry, baby, you don't have to worry about her. She'll get hers someday._ Maka's eyes snapped back to mine and she looked at me with such a confusing stare. I smirked a little at her to ease her nerves. She looked like she was freaking out inside. Poor thing. _It'll be all over soon, don't worry. We're almost through._

I turned back to Julia who was just about to finish up her cross-examination. Somewhere along the way, I must've stopped listening.

"Do you believe that Soul is indeed responsible for stealing your fiancé's precious heirlooms?"

"Yes, I do. He is one of the few people that know the code to the safe that Wes keeps his treasures in and he was the only one other than myself that was in the house that night."

"There is absolutely no possibility that you could've stolen your fiance's jewels, correct?"

"Correct. I was locked in the other room all night until Wes came and found me. After that, I was with him at all times," Julia lied again. Mr. Mosquito smiled and backed up with his papers now at his sides.

"That is all, your honor," he stated. The judge nodded. Julia stepped down from the stand and returned to her seat.

"For my next witness, I would like to call my second client, Mr. Wes Evans," Mr. Mosquito insisted. Wes looked hard as he walked up to the stand. He didn't dare look at me the entire time he was up there, but I stared him down the whole time. _He must really hate me right now. He's never acted like this in front of me. He used to always be ignorant, sure, but never like this…_

A policeman had Wes swear to tell the truth and he obliged. The cop returned to his position, with his arms behind his back as he looked forward with an intimidating look to maintain order.

"Could you please state your name?" Mr. Mosquito started.

"Wes Evans," he spoke broadly and maturely. I hadn't heard his voice in such a long time.

"What is your age?"

"25."

"Occupation?"

"I'm a musician."

"What instrument do you play, Mr. Evans?"

"The violin."

"What is your relationship to the defendant?"

"He's my younger brother."

"Do you care for your younger brother?" Wes rolled his eyes to look at me with a hateful, disgusted expression that everyone else gave me. I gulped and my eyes fell to my lap.

"I once did."

"Now you don't?"

"No."

"In that case, let's move onto the cross-examination. Would that be permitted, your honor?" Mr. Mosquito asked for permission. The judge grunted and nodded with a bored expression on his face. He too must've just wanted to get this damn case out of the way. There really was no need for such a large audience and so much publicity when I was pleading guilty.

"Mr. Evans, would you care to tell us why you do not care for your brother, as you said?"

"Soul not only violated my fiancé, but he stole my family heirlooms and when I caught him, he knocked me in the head with my violin."

"Where did you keep these jewels?"

"I kept them in a safe in my bedroom."

"Was this safe locked at the time it was stolen?"

"Yes, I always keep it locked."

"How many people besides yourself know the code to unlock the safe?"

"Besides myself, my brother, Soul, my fiancé, Julia and my parents know the code to unlock the safe."

"Would there be any possibility that any of the mentioned people other than the defendant could have opened the safe?"

"No. My parents were out with me and I found my fiancé locked in a guest bedroom when the jewels were stolen. After I found my fiancé, I stayed with her all night."

"Do you honestly believe in that case that your brother is the culprit?"

"Yes, I do," Wes said sternly and loud enough for everyone to hear. The lawyer nodded a few times and dismissed Wes back to his seat.

"That is all your honor." The judge grunted once more in response and looked to Justin, who was readying his papers in front of him.

"Mr. Law, could you please begin your direct-examination?" he obliged. Justin nodded and rose from his seat. He grabbed a set of papers and walked to the center of the court.

"My first witness will be my very own client, Mr. Soul Evans." _That's my cue._ I got up from my seat and took a seat at the stand next to the judge where Julia once sat. This time, instead of looks of pity, I received looks of hate and disgust. That's to be expected, I guess.

A police officer came up to my side and had me swear to tell the truth. I did so, just as Julia did and he returned to his place. Justin cleared his throat and began asking his questions. For some reason, my heart was pounding. Maybe because I felt like the whole city was judging me. Maybe because I knew that I'd be lying to everyone and even myself by pleading guilty. It'll be worth it, though. People like me don't deserve to roam freely like Maka.

"Please state your name."

"Soul Evans."

"Age?"

"23."

"Occupation?"

"I'm unemployed."

"Are you familiar with the Matthews family?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then are you familiar with Ms. Matthews?"

"Yes."

"That's all for my direct-examination, your honor."

"Proceed with the cross-examination, then," the judge replied. Justin nodded and looked at me. I nodded as well and he continued his questioning.

"On the night of March 14th, seven years ago, were you in bed with Ms. Julia Matthews?" he asked, avoiding questions that would force me to lie. _Smart, Justin… Smart._

"Yes, I was."

"Did you pin this woman against the bed when she told you 'no'?"

"Yes, I did." I wasn't lying. That much Julia had said was the truth. There would be no denying it anyway…

* * *

 _FLASHBACK_

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

 _It's the night of March 14_ _th_ _. My stupid brother has a stupid recital to go to and my parents left me all alone with his stupid girlfriend. Man, she's so annoying! I mean, I know she's hot and all, but all this flirting she's been doing needs to stop. She can have my brother if she's so bored! Though, I don't blame her. Wes is kind of a kill-joy. Whatever, I just wanna go to sleep at this point._

 _ZZZZZ…. ZZZZZZ… ZZZZZZ… ZZZZZZ… ZZZZZZZ… ZZZZZZZZ… ZZZZZZZ… ZZZZZZ…_

 _'Huh?' I heard a creak from my door that woke me in the middle of the night. I thought it was one of my parents or something. Maybe they came home early tonight after the show? I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but then I heard another creak. It wasn't from my door this time. I_ _ **felt**_ _this creak. My body shifted and my bed shook a little when I heard the creaking noise. WAIT A MINUTE!_

 _I snapped my eyes open and saw someone laying down right next to me. IT WAS JULIA!_

 _"Hey, what the hell are you doing in my bed?! Get lost!" I shouted at her. She pouted her lip and slipped under my covers with me, sneaking under one of my arms with a seductive look in her eye. I wasn't buying it!_

 _"Seriously, Julia, get out of here, now!" I commanded. She pouted her lips and ran a cold finger down my toned, exposed chest underneath the sheets._

 _"Aww, come on. Don't you wanna play?" she asked, sexily. Her right leg swung over my hips and she ground her hips against mine. I groaned and she gripped my shoulders, biting her lip. I tried pushing her off of me, but she only grinded harder into me. Her hands reached over to my bare back and rubbed harshly. Before I could push her away even harder, she slammed her small lips into mine and forced her tongue in my mouth. What the fuck is her deal?!_

 _I managed to grab both of her wrists and I pinned her down harshly, hovering over her and glaring down at her._

 _"FUCKING STOP! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" I shouted. Julia screeched louder than ever and she began to kick and scream at me like I did something wrong. I was confused, but she wanted to be let go. Hopefully if I let her go she'll get the fuck out. I released her and she scurried off to God knows where. I stayed there, staring at the door for what felt like ages. I then shook my head and cuddled back up under the blankets._

 _"Crazy bitch. Wes needs to put a handle on this one," I murmured, drifting back off into a quiet, uninterrupted slumber._

* * *

 _PRESENT_

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

"Did you try to pursue Ms. Matthews at all when she screamed and left the room?"

"Not at all."

"What about the next morning? What happened on the morning of March 15th, seven years ago?"

"That morning, I woke up to people screaming in the kitchen…"

* * *

 _FLASHBACK_

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

 _"What's with all the screaming?" I asked, walking down the stairs to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Julia was standing in the kitchen with a horrified look on her face. Wes looked angrier than ever and my parents looked confused as all hell._

 _"Tell them, Soul! Tell them what you did! Confess right now, goddamnit!" Julia shouted, clinging onto my arm and shaking it with tears streaming down her face. I was utterly confused on what the hell she could've been talking about. This crazy bitch is always talking nonsense around here, how was I supposed to know?_

 _Wes came up next to her quickly and snatched her into his arms, hugging her tightly as he glared to me in a fit of rage. Why the fuck is he looking at me like that, I thought. What the hell did I do?_

 _"Get away from him, Julia. We believe you, right Mom? Dad?" Wes asked, kind of demandingly as he turned to our parents. They nodded and glared along with him._

 _"Okay, what the hell is everyone talking about? What happened?" I asked, whipping my head back and forth to all the people in the room. Nothing was making any sense, it was early as fuck, everyone was screaming, Julia was crying, Wes is glaring… WHAT THE ACTUA FUCK?_

 _"Soul, do you care to explain what this is?" my parent asked as they flipped on the TV. On the TV was a video colored in a darkish green. You know, night vision. The clipped played and there were two beings on a bed. Obviously a girl and a guy. All of a sudden, the guy aggressively pins down the girl and she begins to kick and hit him. He lets her go and then she runs out of the room as quickly as she can. It took a few minutes as I was watching the whole thing take place, but after a while, I figured out that this was a video from last night… IN MY ROOM. WHEN JULIA FORCED HERSELF ON ME! WHEN THE FUCK DID THIS CHICK PUT A CAMERA IN MY FUCKING ROOM?! WHY THE FUCK WAS SHE RECORDING THIS SHIT?!_

 _The video cut off and my mother crossed her arms as she waited for my explanation._

 _"Wait a minute, you think I forced myself onto Wes' girl?" I questioned audaciously. Wes released Julia and pushed me onto the ground._

 _"What the hell were you thinking, Soul?! Why would you even think of doing something like this?! MY OWN BROTHER!" I got back up on my feet and walked up to Wes again only to be pushed even harder onto the ground. He tackled me and grabbed me by the collar. I heard a clang next to my stomach on the kitchen floor. Wes and I glanced over to the sound and Wes' eyes instantly grew furious. He picked up the fallen item and shook what looked to be a blue diamond necklace in my face._

 _"YOU TOOK MY JEWELS TOO?! ARE YOU THAT JEALOUS OF ME THAT YOU HAVE TO TAKE EVERYTHING THAT BELONGS TO ME?! HUH?!" Wes shouted. He gripped my collar even more and slammed my head back down on the floor multiple times. I can't talk to him right now. He won't listen. I have to get him off of me before he breaks my skull. Julia and my parents were trying weakly to lift Wes off of me. I glanced around to look for something to hit him with. There was a close by violin on the kitchen chair there. Perfect. SMASH!_

 _I bashed the violin into my brother's head and he instantly fell over with a thud. My parents gasped in horror. I got up from the ground and sprinted towards the front door. I had no time to grab anything, but I knew that there would be hell to pay if I stayed there, so I fled. I ran and ran down the streets, easily avoiding people who could possibly give me away._

 _"This is bad. Really bad. What am I gonna do? I can't just sit and talk it out with my parents or my brother! Looks like I'm gonna have to run away. Yeah… Maybe if I run away, they'll leave me alone… Hopefully that is."_

* * *

 _PRESENT_

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

"…and then I ran away and that's where it all began." That story was so ancient, I couldn't even believe I remembered so much about it. Justin nodded and continued on with his cross-examination.

"I see. Did those jewels really fall out of your pocket?"

"Yes."

"Do you admit that you were jealous of Wes at some point?"

"Yes, I was. Who wouldn't be?"

"Do you admit to stealing?"

"Yes."

"No further questions, your honor," Justin said. The old man nodded his head and pressed his crossed fingers to his lips.

"You both may return to your seats. Will the prosecuting attorney please present his first exhibit?" the judge urged. The small man nodded. Justin and I returned to our seats while Mr. Mosquito brought out a big roll-in TV. He stood to the middle of the court and smiled with triumph. In his hand, he held a CD. The same CD that pinned this illegitimate crime on me seven years ago. I shrunk down in my seat. I'm sure Maka wouldn't want to see the edited video that Julia made of us seven years ago, but if it defended their case, they would use anything. My parents were dirty like that. Look at this trial for example! Do you think a person pleading guilty would have to go through all these procedures in front of an audience this large? I think not. They just wanted to ridicule me to 'put me in my place' in front of all of Death City.

"Exhibit A!" Mr. Mosquito presented, holding up the CD for everyone to see.

"Here, I hold a video recording of the crime taking place. If you do not want to witness such a horrible scene of my poor client being held against her will by the defendant, then I ask that you shield your eyes, for this scene is truly terrifying." The judge nodded and allowed Mr. Mosquito to insert the disk.

The attorney placed the disk into the player and the video began. Again, we watched the short clip of a younger me and Julia tussling in bed after SHE forced herself on ME. Clearly, Julia edited that part out and left the only part that made me look bad in. I looked back into the crowd and searched for Maka. Maka watched the whole thing and my hands began to shake. _Don't believe it… Please don't believe it._

When the video ended, Maka shook her head and rolled her eyes. I grinned at her from the corner of my eyes, which may have seemed weird to the others around us, but I didn't care. She knew the truth. That's all I cared about. I just wished that I had told her all of this myself. I wish that she didn't have to find out this way.

"And there you have it. Soul Evans forcing himself onto my client without consent, as you could see from her reaction. If this doesn't prove that Soul Evans is most definitely guilty of sexual assault, I do not know what would." Mr. Mosquito had the TV taken out of the courtroom and he fished out a paper in his jacket pocket.

"Exhibit B!" Mr. Mosquito threw up a paper in his right hand and waved it for people to see.

"Here, in my hand, I hold the documents received from my client, Wes Evans' doctor. This notice tells us the day that Mr. Wes has entered the hospital and the day he had been discharged from the hospital after being struck by his own brother with a violin. I have studied this document and have come to find that Mr. Wes had been given a concussion from the impact of the violin that was smashed upon his head by one Soul Evans… that is all, your honor."

The lawyer returned to his seat next to a straight faced Wes Evans and his giddy looking fiancé, Julia who was laying her head down on his shoulder unprofessionally. _I can't wait until you get played, bro. Then who's gonna be the one laughing?_

"Defense. Present your closing statement." The judge commanded. Justin stood and turned to the jury.

"I would like the court to recognize that my client is fully aware of his wrongdoings and he is taking full responsibility of any punishment you may bestow upon him. Please take into consideration that my client is here by will. He was not forced into police's custody. He has returned to Death City and turned himself in, knowing full well what may be waiting for him when he did turn himself in. His selfless act should be considered and I hope that you will take note of the fact that he is genuinely apologizing to the Evans and the Matthews family by coming here and admitting to his crimes. That is all."

"Alright. Plaintiff?"

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, today you have witnessed recorded proof that my client has been assaulted by Mr. Evans and he should take full responsibility for what he has done. Not only did this trial prove that he has violated my client, but he has also stolen valuable jewels from his own brother and even went so far as to give the man a concussion to then make his escape. I ask that you sentence him to some well-deserved time in jail to atone for his sins. We cannot allow a menace like this to roam freely as dangerous as he is. Let his judgement be fair and just. That is all." Everyone returned to their seats and sat silently, waiting for the judge to say something.

"Alright," the judge started, turning to the jury. "You have heard the argument and now, the time has come for the jury to reach a settlement. Please take your time to think over your decision and we will all report back here in a few hours, agreed?" he nodded and looked at the jury. The jury nodded back and they followed a policeman into one of the backrooms where they would have their conference.

"This court is now in recess," the judge said, tapping his gavel and disappearing out of the courtroom into his special room behind his desk.

In the meantime, the cops escorted me back to the holding cell and everyone left the courtroom for a break. Maka stayed behind, watching me the whole time they took me away. While walking down the aisle again and locked eyes with her.

 _'It's good to see you again'_ my eyes read. She must've read the message loud and clear because she looked at me with eyes that said, _'Why wouldn't I have come? I needed to see you again. Stay safe.'_ I nodded and continued on with my walk back down to my cell for the next few hours. _Sorry, but there's no guarantee to that, Maka._ I knew well what their verdict would be and I wasn't looking forward to her hearing it. Man, I just hope she doesn't cry.

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

After everyone evacuated the courtroom, I stayed behind for a little to take in what just happened. I saw Soul for the first time in what felt like forever, but you know what? It didn't feel any more comforting. I thought that when I'd finally get to see him, I'd at least feel some kind of closure, but I felt none. No, instead, I felt the same nervousness and worry that I felt that first night I saw him when he was hauled in. I wanted to scream and run into his arms. I wanted to make sure he was completely okay and that nothing was truly gonna happen to him, but I soon figured out that that wasn't gonna happen.

Soul pleaded guilty. He's giving up his freedom. What are the chances that he wouldn't get any jail time for committing to such horrible crimes? What was he thinking?! When I heard what Justin said in his opening statement, I had half a mind to walk out of the court before I lost control of myself. I demanded for some answers! He can't seriously want to plead guilty after all this time, right? What would be the purpose of him even running for seven years, in that case?

Instead of questioning myself in a large, empty courtroom, I followed the crowd of people out of the court and waited outside to clear my head. Many people decided to grab something to eat or to go make some phone calls, but there was nothing that I would've rather be doing than sitting here and waiting for the results. When we stepped out of the building and into the bright, morning sunlight, I looked up to the clouds in the sky and watched them pass, mindlessly.

 _Now I know the truth, huh? Well… at least part of the truth._ Maybe not everyone caught it, but I easily cracked the code once the plaintiff's lawyer showed that video to the crowd. At first glance, it _would've_ looked like Soul was really trying to force Julia into sleeping with him. If I hadn't already known Soul well enough, I probably would've thought the same thing. Reading his body language, though, it was as clear as day that he wasn't forcing her down; he was… _restraining_ her. Why, was the question. My guess is that Julia probably starting messing with him to get a kick out of him and when he told her to stop, she wouldn't. That would explain how he was 'framed' as he said before.

What was up with that jewel theft? Soul said on the stand that he woke up, got into a fight with his brother and then the jewels just _happened_ to fall out of his pocket? Isn't that just a little too convenient? I knew that something was up and clearly I was right, but it doesn't look like anyone's gonna address it.

 _What is wrong with you, Soul Eater? Why don't you fight?! Don't tell me that after all this time, you went soft on me. The Soul Eater I know would never stand for something he knew was wrong! I don't understand what you're trying to accomplish by doing this!_ My hands flew up to my face and a tear or two escaped my eyes before I wiped them away and sighed.

For the remainder of the time that we were given off while the jury came to a decision, I sat out in front of the court and twiddled my thumbs, hoping that today would turn out for the best.

* * *

"Have you reached a decision?" the judge asked, addressing the jury. About an hour later, everyone was called back in and we all gathered together for the sentencing. My heart pounded harder each second. _Please be good news, please be good news!_ I looked towards the front to look at Soul. He was the only one that wasn't looking at the jury; instead, he looked down at his lap. It was almost like he knew what was about to come. Everyone else probably did as well, but me? I just wanted to cling onto what little hope there was that things would go complete smooth and in my favor. I was wrong.

A man in the jury stood with a couple papers in his hand. The plaintiff's side and the defendant's side both rose and all but Soul faced the man who was about to reveal whether he walked home free or spent a great deal of time in jail. The man cleared his throat.

"We have your honor. In the case of Evans and Matthews vs. Evans, we find the defendant guilty of sexual assault, robbery and assault and battery." With those words, my lip began to quiver and my eyes began to water up. _This is really it… He's going to jail…_ I wanted so badly to stand against this, but if I did, I wouldn't be able to stay here with Soul. I had to be with him through to the very end.

Soul turned to the judge who looked him straight in the eye. Justin looked over at Soul, but from the look in his eyes, he wasn't surprised at all. Who would be? The man pleaded guilty. He was practically begging to be locked up.

"Do you know what this means, Soul Evans?" the judge asked. Soul nodded.

"Yes, I do. As my lawyer said, I will willingly take responsibility for my actions," he said plainly. He didn't sound discouraged at all. It was as if he had expected the same. Did he _want_ this to happen?!

"Would the victims want to say anything before I start the sentencing?" the judge asked, looking at the giddy-looking brunette on the plaintiff's side. She shook her head, but when then she looked up at her fiancé beside her and his expression was hard. He decided to step up to the stand.

Wes quickly walked to the stand and sat down, looking straight at Soul with a look of distain in his eyes.

"I just want to say that… Soul… I appreciate you turning yourself in. But that doesn't make me hate you any less for the things that you've done. You're my brother, I'm supposed to be able to put my trust in you without having a second thought… Maybe it was my mistake for thinking I could. Maybe if I hadn't, none of this would be taking place. You know, I hate to see you like this after seven years. If you hadn't run off, then maybe I could've forgiven you. If you hadn't hurt so many people, then maybe I would've worked things out. But you've gone too far, little brother. You've gone way too far. Now, you have to pay the price. I hope that your time in jail will serve you right. Maybe then you can learn a thing or two about respecting other people and their things." Wes was cold-hearted as he spoke. He scowled at Soul the whole way through and Soul didn't dare look away. As his older brother spoke, I clenched my eyes shut, hoping that his speech would end quickly so that we could finish off this hellish nightmare.

Wes stood up and returned to his seat. The judge flipped his papers on his desk and put on a pair of glasses. He made eye contact with Soul and they both nodded, signaling that they were ready to begin.

"I hereby sentence the defendant to a minimum of four years in the prison of the State of Nevada for attempting to sexually assault Ms. Julia Matthews. The defendant shall also serve a minimum of twelve years in prison for robbing over $30,000 worth of materials over the course of seven years. Last but not least, the defendant will also serve twenty years in jail for the assault and battery with a deadly weapon against Mr. Wes Evans. In conclusion, I hereby sentence the defendant to 36 years in state prison," the judge said, tapping the gavel once more. My heart literally shattered into a thousand pieces hearing this. I let out a muffled sob and I tried to control my sorrow. I clamped a hand over my mouth and nose, hopping not to make too much noise in the court. A couple of people turned to me to see what was going on, but no one pitied me. I was the only one that could've understood how painful it is to see someone you care about being locked away for such a long time.

My tears blurred my vision and rapidly fell to the sides of my cheeks. _No, how could this be? Please don't let this be real! Please let this all be some sick, twisted joke!_

My eyes burned into Soul's back as the policemen inched closer to him to cuff him. Unexpectedly, he quickly turned around and looked straight at me with a small smirk. Instantly, my tears seized at the sight of him. He must be trying to tell me something. I searched his eyes. They were full of everything but regret. Comfort, sorrow, peace… everything, but regret. He began to mouth something, but I couldn't make it out the first time. I wiped my eyes and mouthed 'what?' back to him in response. He did the same thing, but I made it out much more clearly this time.

 _'Remember what I said,'_ he mouthed. The cops grabbing both of his arms at his side and cuffed them roughly. Soul flinched but then smiled up at me before they took him away. The policemen shouted at Soul, telling him to move along as they escorted him out of the courtroom. I watched the whole time as he slugged in between them, dragging his feet. At the doorway, he looked to me one more time with this look in his eyes. The look that he used to give me all the time when we were in middle school. The look of innocence; the same one he gave me that one night he spent out my house. The same look he gave me when he told me about the night he saved me from those creepy, old men. I gasped, quite loudly as the doors closed behind him and the court went silent. _I know what he said, now! It all makes sense!_

 _"I'll never let anyone put their hands on you like that again. I'll always protect you…_ _ **I'll always protect you… I'LL ALWAYS PROTECT YOU.**_ "

Just like that. As soon as I remembered those words he had said to my unconscious body all those years ago, a bunch of pictures of Soul began to pop up in my head. That time he saved me from those men, the time he pushed me away all those times I befriended him in school, the day he came back to me after seven years, asking for my help, the morning he held me in bed and apologized to me, that night we smoked together, that night we spent cuddling while we watched a movie, the night he almost beat up Akane for lying to me, that night he kissed me, the night I cried for him in the holding cell while he was being hauled in… All those memories rushed into my brain like a waterfall… and my tears came down just as hard.

Immediately, I ran straight out of the door of the courtroom and ran outside. Running and running, I didn't dare look back. I sobbed loudly as I dashed down the streets of Death City. Must've looked like a damn fool, but I couldn't take the heart ache anymore. I ran across the streets, almost getting hit by a car a couple times, I pushed past people and sprinted for my flat. At some point, I ended up on my apartment floor, sobbing like a child. My breaths were almost non-existent because of how much I was running and how much I was blubbering, but I just couldn't stand any of this anymore. Not being able to see Soul like I used to, not being able to hold him again, not being able to protect him like he did, me.

Why do I care? Why does he have this effect on me? Why am I crying? The flashbacks wouldn't stop pouring into me and when I finally regained some of my senses, I found the answer I was looking for all this time. _That's why I've been hurting. That's why I can't move on anymore… I finally know why._

I needed someone to comfort me through all of this; I couldn't stand to be alone at a time like this. Especially when Soul wasn't here to wipe away my tears. In my bag, I searched for my cell phone and quickly called my Mama on speed dial. I tried taking deep breaths while the phone rang, but when she finally answered, my composure was completely gone.

"Hello?" she answered in a sweet tone. My tears brimmed once more and I shook my head, clenching them shut.

"M-Mama…" I sobbed, painfully. She automatically grew alarmed.

"Maka? What's wrong, honey, why are you crying?" she asked. Her voice was soothing, but it wasn't the one I wanted to hear the most. I inhaled and exhaled deeply, pausing to catch myself from falling through the cracks at this point.

"Maka? Maka, please tell me what's wrong." I took another deep breath.

"Mama…"

"Yeah?" she asked in a heartening, motherly voice. I didn't really know how to tell her why I was so upset or why I couldn't stop crying, so I said the first, unintelligent thing that was on my mind. I clenched my skirt tightly and held my breath for a moment before I finally said it…

"Mama… I'm in love with a criminal."

 _ **A/N:**_ **WOAH! Okay, so that was wild! And yeah, I know that if you plead guilty, you give up your right to a jury trial, but for this story, I found it more appropriate if Soul's parents would've paid to have people see a jury trial instead. Kinda like to make an example out of him. Anyway, yeah, that's why it was so hard to create this chapter because I knew that once Soul pled guilty, the trial would be short and sweet, especially because I gave them such a time cushion between the time that Soul made the deal with the judge and the time that they actually settled things in court. So yeah, guys. What do you think? Soul has been sentenced to 36 years in jail. What do you think is gonna happen next? I'll tell you what, SOME CRAZY SHIT! This is definitely not the end, so please stay updated. Also, gimme all those delicious reviews ;3 I eat them all up!**

 **Oh! Before I forget, I just wanted to let you know about a new project that I have been working on. I've already started planning out another SOMA fanfiction (yeah, I know, I need to move on to something else, right? lol) and soon, I'm hoping I'll be able to come out with the first chapter. I figured that since I've been adding a lot of my favorite songs into this past fanfictions that I did, why not make it a little more fun? There's a hint for you! It WILL involve a lot of music. Hopefully you guys will follow into it at the end of this series.**

 **Okay, I'll be starting that new fanfiction VERY soon and I'll be updating a new chapter as soon as I can so stay updated and stay beautiful, my lovely viewers! (: ~Laurnea**


	12. Chapter 12

**_A/N:_** **** **YAAAAY! Chapter 12 is finally here :D Boo yah baby! I'm sorry if you were getting impatient, haha. I don't mean to make you guys wait for too long! But my reasoning should be acceptable. I am creating a new SoMa series to go off of after I finish off this one! It's gonna be reaalllly cool, but I don't want to spoil it for you guys just yet. Just know that it involves music and a lot of fun times (; Alright, DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! Happy reading, my friends! R &R! I love your reviews 3 (;**

 _CHAPTER 12:_

 _LAST CHAPTER:_

 _"I hereby sentence the defendant to a minimum of four years in the prison of the State of Nevada for attempting to sexually assault Ms. Julia Matthews. The defendant shall also serve a minimum of twelve years in prison for robbing over $30,000 worth of materials over the course of seven years. Last but not least, the defendant will also serve twenty years in jail for the assault and battery with a deadly weapon against Mr. Wes Evans. In conclusion, I hereby sentence the defendant to 36 years in state prison." No, how could this be? Please let this be some sick twisted joke! Tell me this isn't real!_

 _'Remember what I said.' What?_

 _"I'll never let anyone put their hands on you like that again. I'll always protect you… I'll always protect you…_ _ **I'LL ALWAYS PROTECT YOU**_ _."_

 _Just like that. As soon as I remembered those words he had said to my unconscious body all those years ago, a bunch of pictures of Soul began to pop up in my head._

 _"Maka, what's wrong honey? Why are you crying?"_

 _"Mama…"_

 _"Mama… I'm in love with a criminal."_

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

"Go through the gate, miss," the guard said politely. I removed my jewelry and walked through the metal detector as instructed. Clear, as expected. A policeman walked up to me with a stamp and he rolled the stamp over my right hand as a pass to get in and out of the facility. After all the procedures were done and over with, I was escorted onto an elevator in the very back of the room. Along with three other policemen, we aboarded the elevator and the door clamped shut loudly behind us. One, large jolt of the elevator and we descended to the desired floor.

It's been a week. One, long week. A week since the sentencing, a week since the phone call to my mother, a week since I've seen _him._ Oh, how I have longed to see him since then… I could barely even bring myself to speak let alone go anywhere or do anything. Most of the time when I was sitting in silence, I would end up crying endlessly, hoping that days would pass by sooner so I could get this chance. The chance to finally get some answers.

That night I called my mother… and ya' know… made the big reveal, we stayed on the phone until morning. We mostly sat in silence because both of us were in utter shock. How could I possibly fall in love with a man like Soul? A wanted man who was just sentenced to 36 years for crimes that he didn't even commit? A man who gave up his life for God knows what. I was angry with him, I was depressed without him and oh, how I missed and longed for him. I know, crazy huh? Falling in love with someone who is absolutely no good… Well, I don't care.

The elevator slammed down, shaking us all a little when we finally reached the floor. A loud ringing sound was heard and the elevator slid open for us.

"This way, ma'am," the guard spoke while leading me down a never ending hallway that the elevator opened up to. The cold, underground cells chilled me to the bone, but the pounding in my heart, knowing that every step I took, I was one step closer to the man I love heated my body almost to a sweat. A part of me wanted to turn tail and run for the hills because I had no clue what I would do when I finally saw him after all I discovered, but another part of me wanted to hurry up to whatever room he was in so I could see him. Even if it was behind a large glass wall.

The guard stopped in front of a door that lead to a hall. This hall was two rooms separated by a large glass wall, one side for the visitors, one side for the prisoners. He unlocked it for me and let me enter alone.

"You got 2 hours, miss," the guard notified. I nodded my head in a small fashion with a weak smile to thank him for his help. I entered the room and he closed the door behind me. The room was cold and quiet, for there was no one but me in the hall. _Soul must not be here yet. I'll wait for him here._

I hesitantly took a seat on a cold bench in front of a small ledge, facing the glass wall. On the other side, I could see a door with a small window at the top. Soul would be coming through that door any minute now. Loudly, I inhaled and exhaled to calm my nerves. Next to me, on the wall, there was a large, black phone hanging on the hook, attached to the wall with a spirally cord. _This is how we'll be talking to each other._ Another sigh escaped my lips and my eyes fell to the ground. _What am I even doing here? Does he even want to see me? God, I'm such an idiot!_

The sound of a large clank and a couple of footsteps caught my attention, forcing me to look up. On the other side of the glass, there he was. In all his glory. Right there, so close but so far at the same time. Soul. We locked eyes, his tired and droopy, mine wide and astonished. He smirked a little before he took a seat on his bench and picked up the phone. His red eyes bored into mine from behind the glass and I felt as my heart yearned to touch him. Seeing him like this, exhausted, black-eyed, dressed in a beige uniform… It broke my heart. He looked sickly almost. _Oh God, what have they been doing to you?_ Slowly, I reached for the phone, not breaking eye contact for a single moment. I lifted it up to my ear and clenched my jaw for a minute. He probably noticed how on edge I was, so his smirk returned, though the look in his eyes remained.

"Hey," he said in a raspy, deep voice. My breath hitched for a moment, hearing his voice like this. Through a receiver while he sat only feet away from me as we were separated from each other by a thin piece of glass. Tears formed in my eyes but I quickly wiped them away and escaped, Soul's hard gaze.

"Hi," I answered, unintentionally sniffling in the process. He was silent for a minute, watching my actions. Guess this was awkward for the both of us, it seems.

"How's things back in Death City?" he asked, making small talk for my sake. I cleared my throat and shyly looked down at my clenched fists in my lap.

"Quiet. Nothing special's been going on. Just the usual misdemeanors," I squeaked.

"Mmm," he grunted in response, nodding his head and finally looking away from me to look down at the ground. My head rose and I looked at Soul hard, thinking of only one thing.

"Soul… why?" I asked. Soul looked up, his eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

"Why, what?"

"Don't act stupid!" I snapped. "Why didn't you fight? You know you didn't do the things that Julia accused you of, so why?! Why would you just let her win like that?!" I raised my voice. A tear or two escaped me, unwillingly, but I immediately halted them and wiped them away. I had to keep my composure in front of him. I can't let him know how badly this affected me.

"…because it didn't matter. Either way, if I had pled guilty or not, they still would've thrown me in here. It would've made no difference," he answered plainly. His eyes were testing. Hard, cold… He's never looked at me like this, before, but I knew what they meant. It meant that he was hiding something.

"But that's not it, is it? Don't you think I know you better than that, Soul?!"

"Just drop it, Maka."

"Why should I?! You've been at this for seven years and now you decide to give up? All that work was for nothing, Soul? Really?" _All that we've been through? All that you've put me through? Was it all really just for nothing, Soul? Do you even care how this could've affected me? No, you didn't, did you? Of course not, I should've known._

"I'm tired, Maka. What more can I say? It's none of your business anyway," he mumbled in the end. I heard him perfectly clear though. I stood up, glaring at his sitting form.

"None of my business? I thought we were in this together!" I shouted. Soul yelled back at me, glaring up at me from behind the glass.

"We were never in this together, Maka! It was me, myself and I! I never wanted to get you involved, especially not now!" he yelled. My gaze turned from furious into confused really quickly. He sighed loudly and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Look, Maka, you need to live your own life. Go back to the way things were before I showed up. That's how it should be."

"Go back to – Soul, I can't just leave you behind like this!" I said, my voiced pained from trying to hold back tears and get across my point at the same time. At this point, I freely let them run down my cheeks. _I can't believe what I'm hearing! Does he not feel the same way about me…? Is this all just… one-sided?_ Water droplets streamed down as I looked him in the eyes, hoping he would answer my thoughts correctly. No chance. He stared back with the same hard, testing look as before.

"You're gonna have to. I'm gonna be in here for a pretty long time and I don't want you waiting for me." _You should tell him. Tell him before it's too late. He needs to know…_

"But Soul, I-." Soul cut me off right then, getting up out of his seat and staring heartlessly into my eyes.

"Maka, no. Just go. Don't come to visit me anymore. Don't ever come here again. Live your life out there, I'll live mine in here. That's the way it has to be… Goodbye," he said, coldly as he put the phone back on the hook and walked out of the door he entered from. He didn't even look at me. Not even once. I watched as he disappeared completely from my sight, my heart shattered, my hands shaking, my tears falling nonstop and my lip quivering.

A minute after he left, I finally slammed the phone onto the table in a fit of rage and full-out cried. The phone made a loud clanking sound as it connected with the metal table. I sunk to my knees and clenched my eyes shut along with my fists and teeth, biting down on the wales and sobs. How could my heart shatter any more than it did right then, watching him turn his back on me for the last time? Was this really it? Was there really nothing left for us? _No. No, I'm not gonna let it end here. Not like this._

I jumped back up to my feet and escorted myself back to the main area, where I retrieved my things and left the facility. As I stepped out into the bright sunlight, I wiped my eyes clear from tears and began on my way.

 _Hell no. I can't just leave it all behind like this. I refuse to let my heart get broken again. I'm gonna set things straight whether he likes it or not. That girl wanted to play the dirty way. Well I can play even dirtier. You want a fight, bitch? Then a fight is what you're gonna get. I'm getting you out of here, Soul Eater, so get ready._ And just like that, I was off on my way, filled with sadness and determination.

* * *

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

On my way back to my cell, I got tackled down to the ground by a group of guards. Yeah, probably wasn't the smartest idea to just get up and leave the visitor's room by myself, unattended. Prisoners here are just that for a reason and we're not exactly allowed to do whatever we please. What was I supposed to do, though? I had to get out of there.

As cold as it may have sounded, Maka can't afford to keep me in mind anymore. I may sound like a broken record, saying this all the time, but she deserves better than this. Not gonna lie, even though my pride's on the line, you understand, I'm sure… saying those things I did and acting the way I did towards her took everything. Truth be told, I was actually very relieved when I found out she had come to visit me. It seemed like forever since we actually got to talk alone to each other. Tch, then like what I did. I push the girl away, say it's none of her business, tell her to get lost… Way to go, Eater… Way to go.

"Let's go, Eater, on your feet. NOW!" the guard, rushed, yanking me up off of the ground and forcefully pushing me along to my lonely cell. I complied as usual. They threw me into my cell, hitting my head on the edge of my bunk and clamped the bars shut behind me. I flinched and rubbed my throbbing head, thinking that I probably deserved that. The pain from my head isn't half as painful as my heart was, watching Maka cry like that. Not even being able to console her, not allowing myself to care, or a least show it in front of her. In my lifetime, I've probably seen Maka cry probably three times at most; once when she was being attacked by that group of men, when she cried in the courtroom after hearing my sentence and just then when she cried for me in the visitor's room. Out of all the times I saw Maka cry, that had to be the hardest time to watch for me. You could probably imagine why. I love her.

I've realized that we hadn't spent much time together, but even so, watching her cry… leaving her behind like that… it felt like I was leaving behind someone very important. By the way I reacted to her, you'd never believe that I had been gone for seven years. It was like I never left her in the first place. Like I had never acted as if I was against her. The feelings that I had built up from this one ordinary girl was absolutely astonishing to me. Then again, it doesn't surprise me. I was always attracted to the way she could see right through me, unlike the others. Maka was the only one who really saw me as I was. Thinking of that fact brought a fond, yet dark memory back to me.

* * *

 _FLASHBACK_

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

 _Everyone's at lunch eating in their little cliques. Mom and Dad's conditions to go to a public school was not to speak to anyone that couldn't offer anything, so… hmm… that tree over there looks pretty cozy. I sat down at the bottom of the tree, under the shade, resting my eyes. It may seem a little lonely, not being able to talk to anyone, but it's a lot better than being forced to talk to those stuck up rich boys. Man, I'm so sick of listening to their bragging! Sitting under this tree by myself is so much better than having to listen to THAT again! I mean, dude, who cares that your dad is letting going to buy you a Bugatti for your first car? Like, you can't even drive yet, calm your sack._

 _I sat in the shade in silence for about ten minutes. A few groups from inside the cafeteria started filing outside, but I paid them no mind. They left me alone, I left them alone. To keep them away, I usually acted pretentious. That seemed to work pretty well on most of them. On others, it just drew them to me even more, oddly enough. This one girl in particular would NEVER leave me alone. Her with her stupid little pigtails and her goofy ass grin… I felt a pair of eyes on me and I cracked open an eyelid just a bit. Speak of the devil, here she comes, running over to me after excusing herself from her own clique. The mentioned girl began to walk towards me and I huffed a breath to myself as she inched closer. Damnit, why doesn't she just leave me alone?!_

 _"Hey, Soul. Whatcha doin' sitting there all alone?" she asked in a cheerful voice that made me sick. She was genuine at least, but she was so sickly sweet. And she doesn't even try! I huffed another exasperated sigh that I found myself doing a lot often when she came around._

 _"You again… Why're you always bothering me? Go back to your friends," I spoke coldly. She pouted and leaned over to look me closer in the face. I turned my face in the other direction to avoid her gaze. She looked like a kicked down puppy! She said nothing; she only stared into my face, which really started to bother me, so I jumped up from my seat on the ground. I marched away quickly, but she caught my arm and gripped my sleeve tightly, stopping me in my tracks._

 _"Hey, where are you going? Why don't you stay with me?" she asked. I turned my head the slightest bit and looked at her from the corner of my eye. I scoffed, a little peeved that she couldn't take a hint._

 _"Why do you care, anyway? It's not like I'm your friend or anything, so why don't you be a good little girl and stop while you're ahead?" I tried to yank my hand back out of her grasp, but she only tugged harder on it with an equal amount of force. She was stronger than she looked. She looked pleadingly into my eyes._

 _"Why? Because I want to be your friend. You never talk to anyone and you're always sulking-."_

 _"None of that is any of your business. Now let me go, I don't have time to waste on you." I yanked my arm back and stormed off away from the courtyard. She didn't bother following me this time. Good. I hate the persistent ones… Hmph._

* * *

 _PRESENT_

I chuckled to myself, thinking of her persistent nature that she carried out through her adult years. She's always been like that. Every day, I would sit under that tree in the courtyard and every day, she would meet me and try to talk to me the way she did. I had always acted like it bothered me and I'd even find myself trying to trick myself into believing that I was truly aggravated by her presence, but in truth, I actually think I counted on those short interactions with Maka. It was a breath of fresh air from the stuffiness of living with stuck up snobs who slandered each other behind each other's backs.

I never really related to that crowd. I tried to only because my parents wanted me to. I remember the first time I asked my parents if I could enroll in a public school. _'You have nothing to gain by going to a school with all those poor lowlifes,'_ he responded. When he said that, I almost backed down on trying to convince them not to enroll me in a prestigious academy with the other rich musicians. I wanted to defy them, but if you knew them personally, you'd understand why that wouldn't be a smart idea. Yeah, it's cruel and their not very considerate, but they are my parents. I'd even go so far as to say that I feared my parents, for quite obvious reasons. I mean, look at me now. I'm in here because their priorities. A disgraceful son is of no concern of theirs despite blood. Scary thought, isn't it?

I placed my head in my hands and ran my fingers through my hair. I raked my mind clean of the memories with my family and replaced them with Maka's efforts in trying to break down the wall I built up. At first, she was the only distraction from the cruel reality I lived in. This one time, she came pretty close to figuring me out. That day changed me forever.

* * *

 _FLASHBACK_

 _A day after school. Most of the students went home, but I wasn't too crazy about returning home so soon. Hmm… Well, if I give them an excuse, they'll probably let it slide. The music room isn't too far, so maybe I can tell them I was practicing on my piece? Yeah… To the music room then._

 _I walked into a large, vacant music room that had multiple different instruments cluttering a corner of the room. A grand piano was in the middle in front of two rows of chairs. I searched the hallway once before entering the music room and closing the door behind me. I shuffled over to the grand piano and sat on the bench before it. Looks a little dusty, but still in good shape. They should take better care of their instruments._

 _Playing from memory, I began pressing the white and black keys in a certain order to play my piece. I hated this piece. It sounded so monotone and stuffy. I prefer something more carefree and from the heart. This song was something my parents composed and forced me to learn. Said something about not trusting me to play my own pieces on stage just yet with me being so young. They are my parents after all, so either way, I have to listen to them, but I just wish that if they were gonna force me to play the piano, at least let me play something decent._

 _Half way through the song, I got this uncomfortable feeling. A feeling like I was being watched. I immediately halted my playing and turned around to an open door with a familiar blonde, green-eyed girl standing dumbfounded in the doorway. I stood up and glared at her, hoping to scare her off, but that wasn't happening. She just stood there in silence._

 _"What are you doing here?" I demanded an answer quite forcefully. I sounded almost like my parents. So much that it scared me, even. Maka shook and flinched at the echoes of my voice. Her eyes were saddened and almost worrying._

 _"I-I'm sorry! I was just finishing up in the classroom and when I walked by this room, I heard music and kinda just walked in. I'm sorry!" she apologized, shrinking in size. I only clicked my tongue and crossed my arms all while looking somewhere else. I mean, I guess she didn't mean to intrude, but seriously, I really wish this girl would take a hint. She's been everywhere I turn lately!_

 _"That piece…" she murmured, stepping a little closer, daringly. I squinted my eyes, still looking in another direction._

 _"What about it?" I spat._

 _"It sounded… well, I guess it sounded… not like you."_

 _With her saying that, my eyes shot back at her, widely in shock. We stared in silence, she, looking at me with concern and a yearn to understand, me, looking at her with astonishment and just a hint of relief. At least somebody noticed… but how could she have noticed that? She doesn't even know me like that. Hell, we're not even friends! I returned to looking at her annoyingly, remembering my deal with my parents._

 _"What would you know? You don't know me!" I snapped. She flinched a little, but she still stepped a little closer. At this point, she was just close enough to reach out to me and touch my arm._

 _"I know that you're not as cold as you pretend to be," she said soothingly, touching my arm slightly. My skin burned by her touch and my mind went blank for a minute. I looked into her eyes and saw care. Warmth. It was so inviting, but I couldn't give in. Instead, I clicked my tongue again and yanked my arm away from her, maneuvering around her and out of the room._

 _"Whatever! Just leave me alone already! Why do you have to be so goddamn irritating?!" I snapped again, running out of the room and leaving her behind. My heart was beating wildly as I ran home, not daring to look back the slightest inch. The whole day, I locked myself in my room, trying to calm my harsh beating heart. I blamed it on the run home, but I knew deep down that wasn't the truth._

* * *

 _PRESENT_

That whole night, I thought about what she said. Y'know, about me not being as cold as I make myself out to be. She was right. I knew the whole time that she had been right. She had also been right about the music not relating to myself. Working under my parents, I was always forced to play like the carbon-copy version of myself that my parents created. They tried to mold me into something a lot like Wes. That's who they wanted me to be; the stuck-up rich younger brother who was too cool for everyone and didn't have time to waste with the likes of 'common people'. I had played that role for so long, that I didn't even know who I was myself. Of course, I knew enough to know that the person my parents tried to force me to become wasn't it. Hell, I'd even go so far as to say that I'm the complete opposite of who I pretended to be.

Maka made me realize all of this in that one day. After that, she never left my mind. I began to observe her. I wanted to know what kind of person was capable to breaking the barrier I built up. I kept my distance, but I watched how she acted around her friends. Still, she spared some of her time for me and I found myself yearning for that attention just to get a little bit of an interaction at school, but it just couldn't be done. I was too afraid of my parents to defy them.

Maka would come by that tree I always sat under. She'd always greet me with a large smile that seemed almost inhumane and she'd always have this cheerful aura about her. I'd still push her away, but I just couldn't find the strength to be mean to her anymore…

* * *

 _FLASHBACK_

 _Here she comes. I'm sitting under my normal shady tree at lunch time. Maka and her group of friends came outside from the cafeteria again like she does every now and then. Even if she doesn't come outside with her friends, she'd always come out to talk to me. Always excusing herself from her friends the same way as they give her this confused look. She'd run off and they'd watch her back as she comes over towards me._

 _Yeah, I'll admit that I've watched her. Guess I just got curious at some point. Tch, like I could ever be interested in that bookworm. Always hangin' out in the library and reading in her free time. What a nerd! There's no way I'm into a girl like that. Psh… please…_

 _"Hey Soul!" she beamed, leaning over into my face like she always does. She's got that goofy smile on her face. To escape her gaze, I looked down and looked up at her through my white bangs._

 _"Hi…" I spoke weakly. With her being all giddy and excited like that, I just… can't push her away as easily. Before, it had been so easy to walk away from her and tell her off, but lately, I just can't do it. I can't disobey my parents, though…_

 _"Mind if I sit?" she asked, not waiting for my answer before she plopped herself down at the bottom of the tree next to me. I didn't look at her. Instead, I stared at my twiddling thumbs hard and intent. We sat in silence for a few seconds as I tried to come up with a way to excuse myself from her. This couldn't happen anymore. She can't keep trying to get involved with me._

 _"Maka…" I spoke firmly. She hummed in response, her voice sounding a little less cheery. She leaned forward to look at me again. I gulped to myself and looked away from her._

 _"Why do you keep trying to talk to me?" I whispered a question. She giggled._

 _"I already told you. I want you to be close with me. You always loo o lonely-."_

 _"That's for a reason, Maka," I cut her off, louder this time._

 _"Huh?" she asked. She leaned forward again, trying to get me to look at her again. I looked back just a little bit to show her I was serious._

 _"I can't talk to you, Maka. Just please…" I begged. How do you explain this kind of thing to a girl like Maka? I can't._

 _"You can't talk to me? What-."_

 _"Just don't get involved with me. Please. I just need to be alone." With that, I slipped away from her and left her behind at the tree. She didn't try to follow me like she usually did. That's how I knew that I finally got through to her._

* * *

 _PRESENT_

I laughed just a little. Why would all these flashbacks start coming back to me _now_ out of all times? Our history is gone. It means nothing now. She's out there starting her new, free life while I'm stuck in this damn place, getting a taste of my own medicine. Guess I deserve it though. I let myself get pushed over so much; if I hadn't been such a pushover, I probably would've been able to live a life suitable for myself and not my parents. If I had stood up for what I wanted, then I probably wouldn't have let Julia have her way. This is all my fault, so this is what I get. A pile of burned memories and a lifetime of guilt.

 _Damnit, Maka… I'm sorry, alright? Damnit, this is really starting to look like the old days, huh? How many times have I pulled this card on you? Too many to count, that's for sure. Well… I hope you know it's for nothing… God, I really did love you. Still do._

I ran a hand through my hair, harshly, banging it against the wall and resting there. A tear managed to escape my eye, but I quickly wiped it away and took a deep breath. _I hope that one day we'll be able to meet again on better terms. Maybe then you'll be living out your dreams. Then I'll know that this wasn't for nothing… God, Maka, you better be okay while I'm in here._

I laid down onto my cold, hard bed and drifted off into a deep sleep, that I had wished that I could never wake up from. My dreams were haunted with flashbacks of Maka, but it was the closest I could ever be with her again. I knew that eventually, I'd get over us. I just hoped that it'd be soon.

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

 _Soul wants to give up, but I refuse. There's a way out of this. There always is… and I'm gonna find it._

Knowing exactly what needed to be done, my feet carried me off to the local library. It was about 7:30 at night, so I knew that the library was soon going to close, but I knew I wouldn't be spending much time in there. Gathering my thoughts, I clenched my hand around my purse tightly and flew through the doors of the library. A quick scan of the room told me that the person I was looking for wasn't here. Yeah, that's right. The employees looked up at me taking note of my presence.

"Can I help you, miss?" one of the workers asked from behind the desk. I walked straight up to her, timidly and leaned forward a little to keep our conversation on the down-low.

"I'm looking for one of the employees here. Daisuke. Is he not in?" I asked in a hushed tone. She shook her head, leaning back a little.

"No, his shift ended a few hours ago," she answered. I sighed, ready to turn around and try again another time. _No. I've got to talk to him right away, but how? I wonder…_

"Would you mind letting me use the phone and giving me his home number?" I asked. She seemed unsure about lending me his number, but I assured her I have been here before and he knew who I was. She agreed eventually. She led me to a corner where they kept their work phone and she spoke the numbers to me as I dialed. I gave her a thumbs up when I heard a ringing tone. She left me to my private conversation over the phone. It was a stretch, but if I could reach Akane, then I'd be able to tell where he is. I almost gave up hope after hearing the phone ringing four times, but just when I was about to hang up the phone, Akane answered.

"Hello?" his raspy, manly voice spoke into the receiver. I brought the phone back up to my ear and spoke back.

"Hello, Akane," I said in a deep, serious voice. I held my purse close to my side, gripping it tighter and tighter.

"Wait… Maka?!" he said, surprised. I giggled a little and nodded, despite him not being able to see. _At least now I know for sure that Soul was right about Akane lying to me. I had my doubts, but I'm honestly kinda glad I'm wrong._

"I wanna make a deal."

"A deal? Wait a minute, how did you even get this-."

"Tell me where to meet you and we can talk as much as you like. I'm sure you wouldn't want me talking to you about my situation over the phone. I am at the library, you know."

"Okay, okay! Meet me on the outskirts of the city. 26 Shadow Drive. Behind that building is a bunker. We'll talk there."

"Thanks. Oh, and don't worry. I got what I need." With that, I ended the call with a smile on my face. I didn't think that he'd give in so easily, but I guess it's true what they say. He can't resist a deal, no matter how dirty. Though, I was already sure that he probably knew why I was coming to see him. No matter, though. My eyes subconsciously squinted as my nails dug into the black leather of my purse.

 _26 Shadow Drive… got it._ I darted back out of the library and began making my way towards our meeting place.

* * *

 _AKANE'S P.O.V_

 _What the hell is that girl up to, meeting up with me like this? I wasn't expecting to hear from her so soon. Though, I guess I didn't make it very hard to figure out how to find me… Hmph, business, huh?_

After hanging up the phone, I headed for our meeting place. My bunker was a few streets off from where I actually lived. The only ones who know about it is people who have the connections to know my real identity. Whenever someone wants to strike a bargain for information, I'm our guy. Why? Well, I guess the easiest answer is that it's a hobby of mine that I've grown fond of. I had always loved to know things, even as a child and finding out secrets and debunking rumors came pretty easy to me since I was always 'in the know'. As I got older, the hobby of mine started to become a side-job of mine. I never really wanted to carry out this kind of career, but money's money. It can do some pretty crazy things to you. Not that it doesn't run in the family.

Collecting information is the easy part. I've got my people and it also helps that I'm just a normal face to society. It's pretty simple to miss me if you look around too quickly. People never think anything of it; but I'm always there. I see everything that goes on around Death City. You want information or you wanna keep tabs on someone, I'm your guy. Pay the price and you can learn anything there is to know.

 _KNOCK. KNOCK._ Not long after I arrived at my bunker, I heard a knock on the metal door. Preparing for Maka to walk in, I sat behind my desk and folded my hands over the table.

"Come in," I answered the knock. She complied. The door clanked open and close as a serious looking pair of green eyes met with mine. Maka… she looked so cold and her eyes nearly looked dead. She's had it rough lately. I've kept my eye on her for a while after the trial to see if she'd do anything out of the ordinary, but all I found was a shell of a woman. I can't even remember the last time I saw her smile. Poor thing. Guess it wasn't her fault, really, but she must feel terrible after all she's been through in the past few months.

"Maka, what are you-." Maka's purse was loudly set down on the desk in front of me and out of it, she pulled out a yellow envelope that looked packed with something. She slapped the envelope down in front of me, her expression not letting up a single bit. Her dark, ominous green eyes bored into mine as we sat in silence for a minute. I gave her a few moments to think about her decision, but she didn't look hesitant at all.

"Julia framed Soul. I want the information on how, when and why she did it. Money's in the envelope. Check for yourself," she spoke just as cold as her eyes. I blinked once and then sliced open the yellow envelope in front of me. My eyes widened at the stack inside. I pulled out the cash and began to unfold the bunch and count the hundreds that were stored inside. Each hundred that slipped from my fingertips made my throat clench tightly. After I counted each bill, I slapped the money on my table and snapped my eyes back to Maka's.

"Maka, this is $50,000!" I protested. I couldn't even think to take this much from her! Hell, if it involves Julia, I might just give the information to her for free! Screw the bitch, I don't need to protect her.

"Business." This was unlike her. Maka was completely serious and she looked like she wasn't taking no for an answer. I gulped a little and set aside the folder of cash. I spun around in my chair and turned to a file cabinet behind me, searching for Julia's file. A manila folder was pulled out of the bottom cabinet and I flopped it onto the table in front of Maka. The file was pretty hefty since I knew more than enough about Julia. She had so many cases, it's amazing someone hasn't already caught on to her, yet. But no one ever bats an eyelash at the princess.

"I usually don't get involved with court cases and I assume that you're gonna use this as evidence that Julia's a fraud. Usually I'd turn people away for using me as a source of evidence, but since this involves _her,_ I'll make an exception." Maka's hard gaze turned softer and she cocked her eyebrow at me as she looked through the folder I handed her.

"Huh? You got something against Julia?" she asked, searching the documents and the photographs inside the folder. I linked my fingers again and leaned forward on the desk, smirking up at Maka as she analyzed my work.

"Actually, she's my cousin from my father's side," I said. Maka sputtered and almost dropped the folder on the ground, but she managed to save it. She stared up at me with wide, surprised eyes.

"WHAT?" she nearly shouted. I chuckled and sat back in my chair as she scrambled to fix herself and the fallen papers.

"It's true, though her and I never really got along. My family isn't as successful as my uncle's and since she's the heir to my uncle's company, everyone in the family loves her. They think of her as their darling little princess, but all she is, is just a dirty, lying, gold-digging whore. Actually, if you look through the file, Soul isn't her first victim," I pointed out. Maka looked at her papers again and her eyes widened at the names of all the innocent men and families she has dragged down. Julia's not above throwing lives away for her own selfish purposes. If she wants something, she'll get it one way or another. It's maddening that no one seems to take note of this neither. She's got her connections just like I do, so it's easy for her to have the court turn a blind eye to all these suspicious cases that's been popping up around her. Her parents don't even seem to notice… if they do, then they don't seem to care. Hey, what is it that people say? Ignorance is bliss?

"So… when you were talking to me… did you get involved with me just to get information from me?" she asked, looking a little dejected. My eyes widened and I shook my head vigorously.

"Oh, no, not at all. In fact, before I met you, I didn't even know you existed. It was just a while afterwards that I finally started to find out that you had some kind of connection to Soul. But believe it or not, I actually did have a thing for you… but I guess Soul beat me to it, huh?" I said, scratching the back of my head and smiling up at her bashfully. It was the truth. I did kind of like Maka in the beginning, but after I saw how Soul acted towards me the day that he found us at Maka's house, I just couldn't continue. I couldn't do that to him. So I backed off.

Maka laughed and blushed fiercely, looking in another direction. Yeah, it was clear to see that she loved him just as much as he loved her. How could I have possibly competed with that?

"Hey, wanna know a secret?" I asked.

"…what's the charge?" I laughed.

"No charge, this one's on the house."

"Shoot."

"Soul pled guilty to save you from a bad criminal record and some time in the slammer," I informed. Maka's face contorted into something very fearful and upset.

"WHAT?!" she shouted. I sighed and continued my explanation.

"He made a deal with the judge. If he pled guilty, you'd go home free. Of course, that meant that he'd serve more time. He knew the consequences." I thought Maka would've known this little bit by now. Soul made it so painfully obvious, but telling from how hurt and abandoned Maka looked just then, she didn't have a clue.

"No… How could he do something like that? The damn idiot…" she whispered, blankly staring at the ground and clenching the folder in her hands tightly.

"I've got a pretty good idea why he'd do something like this, but that's information that I really can't give to you. It's probably best if you hear it from him," I said grinning for her. She looked as if she was just told that the world would end tomorrow.

"Hey… C'mon, everything'll be fine. I'm here if you need anything else. Just get that idiot out of there so I can punch him for making you look all sad like this," I joked, walking around the desk and up to her to poke the space between her frowning brows. She smiled and blinked slowly.

"Thank you, Akane. I'm definitely getting him back, just you wait and see," she spoke with determination. I nodded once and pulled back my hand. I turned back to the folder of money that Maka handed me and I picked it back up and returned it to her. As I placed it in her hand, she looked up at me, baffled.

"But-."

"No, Maka, keep the money. This time's free," I insisted, not taking no for an answer. It took a few moments, but she finally relented and took back the cash. She bid her farewell and exited the bunker, leaving me to watch her go. A pang in my heart set off, watching her leave.

 _Guess I really do have to let you go, huh? Good luck, Maka. Bring that bastard back so I can teach him a thing or two about how to treat a lady._

 **A/N: Soooo yeah! We've learned some pretty crazy stuff, huh? Was the way I set up the flashbacks confusing? I hope not! So next chapter, we're gonna see just what Maka plans to do with that folder! What do you think she's gonna do? A lot of you have guessed it already, but I won't spoil it ;x Just know that Maka's not sitting back any longer! Oooohhh, the poor thing. And is it just me or did Soul just get SUPER depressing within these last few chapters? OHMIGOD SOULLY! LIGHTEN UP! xD Alrighty then!**

 **My third fanfiction for SoMa is already going through the process, so don't you worry! I will be sure to let all of you know when the first chapter is uploaded! It'll be a lot of fuuuuun PROMISE! :D Alrighty then, well I'll see you all very soon so stay beautiful and stay updated for Mama, I'm In Love With a Criminal Chapter 13! (: ;***


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! I'M EXTREMELY SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I have a perfectly good reason for not being able to upload though! My tablet/laptop has been having some issues and it would shut off in the middle of me typing up the chapter! So so sooooo sorry! To make it up to you guys, I have made a way for you all to stay updated on the progress of my fanfictions and if any issues turn up, you will know right away. I have created a snapchat account SPECIFICALLY for fanfiction purposes since I seem to always have something that keeps me from uploading on a regular schedule. If you guys are interested, add laurneathefirst on snapchat! WARNING: I will NOT be posting anything too personal! This snapchat account is SPECIFICALLY for fanfiction and ONLY fanfiction. I have created this account for your convenience, so please use it wisely! Anyway, YES, CHAPTER 13 is now out! I've been writing up the last final chapters to get them down on paper, so I should be pretty quick in uploading the next chapter. If not, follow laurneathefirst on snapchat to find out why. ALRIGHTY THEN! Let's get this show on the road! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! Happy reading! (;**

 _CHAPTER 13:_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

"This should be the address. This is the address Soul said on trial. Damn, Soul, you lived big, didn't ya?" I spoke to myself quietly as I approached a large house on a hill. The house wasn't particularly different from the others in the neighborhood, but they definitely weren't what I was used to. The style was much more intricate than the apartments in my neighborhood… hell, my side of the city, really. For a family of famous, worldwide musicians, this is a little bit more toned down than I expected, but I wasn't complaining. Makes it easier for me to approach them this way.

Right, so if you couldn't already guess, I'm headed to 42 Death Hills; Soul's childhood home. Why? Well, it's simple. I'm going to talk some sense into that damn family. I know, it sounds like a stretch, but what other options do I have? If anyone can get Soul out of there, it's them. It seems next to impossible to convince such hateful people, but I had to try. I figured that maybe if I showed them the (rather interesting) information I dug up from Akane, then maybe it'd be enough to convince them. I wasn't gonna take no for an answer.

Striding with confidence, clenching the manila folder roughly in my hand, I approached the fancy, large front door and rang a doorbell that was much louder than necessary. _This is gonna be rough. I doubt these people will even listen to a girl like me. I can't turn back now, though. I have to at least try. They're my only hope. Once they see these papers, they should do more than just believe me._

Before I was ready to completely compose myself, the doorknob turned with a 'clink' and a head popped out from behind it. I recognized this person right away as Wes Evans, Soul's older brother. Somehow, this gave me a little more hope, knowing I'd be speaking to Wes instead of the parents. He cocked an eyebrow at me, looking cold and demeaning; almost the opposite of Soul's lazed, cool expression.

"Who are you?" he asked in a deep, manly voice that could cut ice. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. He was much more intimidating than I gave him credit for back when he was on the stand.

"My name is Maka Albarn. I'm-."

"Oh, I remember you. You're that girl that Soul changed his plead for," he said, rubbing his eye in aggravation. I broke our gaze, looking to the ground in shame. I was still very sensitive about the topic and to say that I felt guilty seemed like such an understatement.

"Yeah… that's me… Anyway, I've come here because I need your help. I think you're the only one I can trust with this, so could we possibly talk in private?" I asked, slowly looking back up at with daring, pleading eyes. He seemed a little taken aback and he didn't answer right away. He sighed heavily and opened the door wide enough for me to walk in behind him.

"We'll talk inside," he said short and sweet. He walked deeper into the house as I walked in behind him, closing the door. I immediately followed him, completely sure that if I didn't I'd most likely get lost in such a large house. _Woah, what the hell, Soul. I would've never guessed back then that this is how you lived. Why did you even bother going to a quaint school like ours then?_

Wes finally took a seat on a couch in a living room that was about the same size as my own. It wasn't particularly huge which made me feel a little more at home. I scooted onto a nearby couch and placed the manila folder on the glass coffee table in front of us.

"So… why are you here?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"I think you and I both know why I'm here," I said. I looked to and then quickly nodded my head in the direction of the folder on the table to signal him to pick it up. He acknowledged it, but made no action towards it. He linked his fingers and leaned over his knees, resting his combined hands to his lips.

"No."

"Listen, I know that this may look bad but-."

"My so-called brother steals my jewels, tries to make a move on my fiancé, hits me over the head with a violin and you expect me to bail him out? Forget it," he spoke coldly, raising his voice a little. I knew he'd be hostile towards Soul for what he believes is the truth, but if he just looked at the papers…

"I can understand how you feel about all this, but I'm telling you he's innocent. I've got the information to prove it. If you can't believe him, at least believe me."

"I don't even know you. Look, you look like a sweet girl. You should really cut your ties with my brother before you get yourself into trouble. What's done is done; it has nothing to do with you. Just go back to how things were before my brother dragged you into his mess," he said, sounding caring enough. _I suppose he does have a heart. That's more than I can say for his sad excuse for parents. He's the only one who can do this. He has to agree!_

"With all due respect, Mr. Wes, I'd rather not. Not after all he did for me. I couldn't possibly leave an innocent man to rot in jail like this. Please, you have to understand. Just look at the papers in that folder and I promise you won't regret hearing me out. I know you know deep down that your brother isn't this kind of guy. He's your brother!"

"Don't be a fool, he betrayed me. His own family. I'm sorry, but my answer still stands," he said, crossing his arms and boring his eyes into mine. For some reason, I grew very frustrated and angry with Wes. I stood up with a huff and I glared at him, scrunching my face up.

"Fine! If you won't let me change your mind, then maybe these will! Maybe then you'll see who the real fool is!" I said, pointing my finger at the folder. I ran out of the large house on a hill and slammed the door behind me.

I didn't realize it straight away, but trails of tears were quickly starting to stream down my face. I stopped my running after I was a good distance away from the house and my hands flew up to my face. I sobbed out of aggravation and desperation.

How could I have possibly thought that he'd listen to me?! I can't do this without their help. They are the only ones the court would really listen to! I can't just sit around and do nothing while Soul is spending a pointless amount of time in jail for a crime he didn't commit, but there's nothing I can do! _Soul, damn you! Why do you have to only think about yourself?! Did you ever stop to think how I'd feel about all this?! I don't want the burden of knowing that I'm part of the reason why you're in jail for such a long time. God, you're an idiot! I hate you, Soul! ….no I don't… Damnit! I'm so confused right now! What am I gonna do now?_

I did the only thing I could do. Go home and try my best to forget everything. A smoke or two will probably do the trick. Maybe not. Who cares anymore? …It's over. If Wes can't help me, then that's the end of it…

* * *

 _WES' P.O.V_

 _That woman. Hmph. Is she really that stupid? What's done is done._ After that girl left, slamming my door, I huffed a sigh and sat in silence for a few minutes. On the table, there was the folder that she left behind. I stared at it from the corner of my eye, running what that woman said through my head.

 _She said that the truth is in this folder. What on Earth could she know? What truth could she possibly know of when she wasn't even there? …Hm._

I'll admit it I was curious. My curiosity got the best of me in the end and expecting the least, I opened the folder. Inside was a stack of papers, paper clipped and documented. _They LOOK real, but are they really?_ These documents looked like court orders, maybe a couple of transcripts… I read some of the information on them and was taken aback to put it lightly. The more I read, the wider my eyes grew and the more fuzzy my brain began to cloud over.

 _W-What is this…_

 _'_ _ **JULIA MATTHEWS VS. JONATHAN LIVINGSTON – MARCH 30, 2008**_

 _*Accuses Jonathan Livingston of Sexual Assault._

 _Matthews family pressed charges and order for Livingston's arrest March 31, 2008. Man arrested in home hours after warrant received._

 _Court date scheduled May 25, 2008._

 _ **MATTHEWS WINS. LIVINGSTON SENTENCED TO 28 YEARS IN STATE PRISON**_ _'_

The information on the first page was almost identical to most of the papers in the folder. I lifted the stack of papers and found a few small envelopes that had been labeled by the date, case and the situation occurring. Inside these envelopes were tiny tapes and honestly speaking, I was semi-afraid to even think of what could be on them. There had seemed to be multiple cases noted down on these papers that I had never even heard of. Seems that some of these cases had been thrown out and classified to the public. _Her family is rich enough to make that happen… but why? What does all this mean? What was that woman trying to tell me?_

I continued analyzing each document thoroughly, reading every single contradicting note, listening to every single tape, watching every single video. The more I understood what was inside the folder, the angrier I grew and the more disgusted I became. _If what's in here is true…_

* * *

 _NORMAL P.O.V_

The late hours were upon us. Wes' large, empty house grew cold and quiet after his discovery of 'the folder'. The man had not even whispered a mere squeak since Maka left as he had a lot on his mind. There was a lot that needed to be deciphered. What was he to believe, his fiance's word, or the word of a stranger who shows up on his doorstep with convincing evidence to back up her claim? To him, the latter seemed most unreasonable… but still. What he saw and what he read could hardly be ignored.

Uncut tapes of Julia's 'sexual assault' which had only proven to be regular sex tapes, audio evidence of Julia's suspicious phone calls to unknown men, her DNA documented in accusing areas of the crime scenes… There was a certain case in particular that was in that folder that Wes had decided not to touch for personal reasons. It was the case of Matthews and Evans vs. Evans. As soon as he saw the name at the top of the paper clipped stack, he quickly tossed it and its tapes out of sight. He couldn't bare to think that maybe he had been wrong about Soul this whole time. He wouldn't be able to take it if he learned that _he_ had been the one who betrayed his brother rather than the other way around.

During those lonely hours of an unwelcoming darkness, Wes had thought… he thought, thought some more and thought until he finally cut his losses. There was only one way to really find out the truth. He knew what needed to be done and though he hated to have doubted his lovely fiancé, he needed to know. When she walks in the door, he'd confront her and record their conversation. He truly did hate to do it… so much that it brought a single tear to his eye, but if what was in that folder was the truth, she needed to be exposed and since he was the blind believer, he was the one that needed to do the exposing.

At this time, Wes was walking around back and forth all over the house. An impatient finger was tapping gently upon his lips in a fit of anxiety. The only sound that had been made was the sound of his hurried footsteps patting against the Cherrywood floor. The folder that had him act so jittery was neatly sitting on top of the island in the kitchen. Every now and then, Wes would look at the folder and the pace of his moving feet would increase. Why was he acting so strangely? It was simple. The truth was surfacing and depending on what the truth is, Wes could've been the reason his little brother is serving 36 years in prison. He could've taken his brother's life from him. Soul tried to reason with Wes; he really did. Could it be that he just couldn't choose his head over his heart? If that's so, Soul would be paying the price and Wes could not handle that.

Wes knew of Soul's troubles. Their parents had high expectations. Life came easier to Wes than to Soul and he knew that full-well. The youngest of the two constantly battled himself, trying to please his father. Why? Fear. The Evans family was not so forgiving. If Soul was not to live up to their expectations, they'd easily cast him off and disown him. Wes secretly pitied his brother's prison his parents had made for him. A prison of piano. 'Go to piano classes', 'Why are you not working on your piano skills?', 'Play the piano for us, will you?', 'You will be attending your piano classes right after school every day. That is the price for attending a public school.' That's all Wes ever heard his parents say to Soul growing up. Everything that came out of their mouth was piano-this and piano-that. Even Wes got tired of hearing the same old thing. But what could he have done? How could he have made his brother's life any easier to bear? He couldn't. The only thing Wes had ever done for him was lock him up and he fully doubted Soul would be appreciative of that.

'Soul had a life,' Wes thought. 'He had a life, a woman he loved, some friends he slowly began to open up to…' Of course, Wes knew his parents weren't very happy with Soul befriending people at his public school, but he did it regardless. He had finally learned how to not just keep to himself all of the time. He could've had a normal life. The woman of his life begged Wes to bring back the man he confiscated and what does he say? He basically tells her to get lost and do better!

Wes felt disgusting dirty. Filthy with regret and hatred for himself. For not seeing what he should've saw. For believing a woman over his own brother. For saying the hurtful things he said in court. If the truth comes out that Julia was not as innocent as she said she was, Wes means to take full responsibility and he means to fix his wrongs.

The echoing sound of a door unlocking and opening was heard throughout the house.  
The clanking sound of heels indicated that the woman Wes had been looking for had finally arrived. The time of confrontation was upon him. To gather his composure, he deeply took in a breath and let it out.

"Hey, hon. You home?" the woman called out with an innocently sweet voice. Wes clenches the folder in his hand and marches down the dark hallway to the now lightened kitchen. As he stepped into the light, squinting his eyes a slight bit, he saw her standing there, looking just as precious as she did when she left that morning. Julia was setting down her pocketbook and unloading it, one thing at a time. She didn't look up at him when he walked in, so he slapped the folder down on the island top in front of her. She jumped a little from the sudden noise and her bright eyes met his. She smiled and returned to her pocketbook.

"Oh, hey babe. What's that? More work stuff?" she asked, not seeming very interested. In truth, she wasn't. Would _you_ take her for much of a business woman? Probably, but not when it counts most. Wes narrowed his eyes and answered in a raspy, deep voice.

"In a way. A girl just came in to speak with me about my brother's case that's just been closed." Wes crossed his arms and leaned on top of the island, closer to her. The topic brought Julia's attention back to Wes, but not in the way that he had hoped. Her expression was visibly shocked and concerned, but it quickly contorted back into a weird, awkward smile that made the both of them feel a little on edge in their own ways.

"Okay? And what happened?"

"Well, she came in… begged… PLEADED, even. She wanted to get Soul out of jail. Said something about needing my help. Said he was actually innocent, but you know what I said. I told her, 'hell no'. She ran out of here in tears and left me with this folder," he explained with a hint of attitude. Seeing Julia's unsure expressions made him angry. Peeved even. He thought that after seeing her reaction, there was no way that Maka had to have been wrong about her claim. He needed to know for sure though, so if he had to play it the hard way, so be it.

Wes stared Julia down hard and that only caused her to break even further under the pressure. To avoid his gaze, the guilty-looking siren focused on her pocketbook a little too intently for his taste. She glanced once at the folder containing what she had hoped was nothing of importance. Out of generous curiosity and concern, she had asked him.

"Oh I see. And what was in that folder, dear?" She had hoped that her buttering him up would loosen him up a little so they could stray off from the subject, but this was inevitable. Wes didn't like being played and because of this, she had hoped to hide all evidence from him, but after Akane had abandoned her, she was much more at a risk of getting caught. She knew this fully well.

"Why don't you take a look… dear?" Wes said, his voice almost already accusing her. He slapped one manly hand down on the folder and slid it over to her. Julia's pretty, jeweled, enchanting eyes were gleaming with shock as they grew wider. She stared at his expression, not even bothering to hide her hesitation. Of course, every slow movement confirmed his suspicions. It was almost too much for Wes to bear much longer before he lost his cool. For this reason, he bit his tongue as Julia searched through the stacks of papers. Her eyes were wide, but not very amused. Her expression grew angry, for she knew exactly where these documents came from. The sly woman was able to piece together just what her soon-to-be husband had been up to this afternoon.

"And which girl did you say gave you this folder?" she asked, sounding ten times less sweet than her voice suggested. Her true colors were about to surface, but she knew he knew too much. She would keep up the façade, but there was no point. She already confirmed almost every denying thought. ALMOST.

"That doesn't matter, Julia! Explain to me what those documents are!" he demanded. She scrunched up her face in anger and raised her voice at him at the same level he had.

"They're lies!"

"Lies? Really? They look pretty convincing to me, Julia! What's all these videos? What are all of these call logs, huh?! And according to these notes, you've been taking out large amounts of cash out of your account CONVIENTLY around the same time the cops went on those search parties for these men?! What the hell does that mean, are you bribing them or something?!" he burst into a rampage. Rightfully so. Even though he had all the information, he needed more than just documents. He needed to hear her say it. Then maybe he could get some closure before he kicked her out of his life for good.

"Do you honestly believe I would lie about being violated, Wes?! To you, of all people?! C'mon you're gonna believe some lovesick little girl over me? Your own fiancé?" she said, trying to pull him back into the darkness. They were standing toe to toe at this point, him glaring down at her and her glaring up at him.

"…You're right. You are my fiancé. And I love you very much… which is why I want to know the truth." Wes backed away from the harshly, glaring girlfriend of his with the envelope he snatched up from the countertop. Her face contorted into a mix of frustration and misunderstanding. She followed behind him as he marched to their shared living room. He fumbled with the CD player, placing the CD in its slot, careful not to scratch the evidence and careful to not let her intervene.

Julia's fists clenched tightly by her sides as she stopped a few feet behind him. Wes switched the TV on with the remote and turned back to Julia, determined on unlocking the truth from what's contained on the disk.

"I haven't watched this CD yet. I'm assuming you know exactly what's on this disk," he started. Her eyes narrowed testily, but he didn't flinch at all.

"If you're lying, the CD will show just what happened-"

"Where did you get that?!" Julia shouted over Wes, reaching for the remote in his hand. He held it up over his head before she could touch it and halted her with one hand held up before her.

"And if you're telling the truth, you won't have anything to worry about." Saying this, Wes pressed the play button on the remote and turned the volume up to a blast. In response, Julia backed away from Wes and he turned to the TV to watch the scene unfold before him.

Right off the bat, Wes could easily uncover that Julia had definitely edited the version he showed him and his parents. The beginning of the video didn't start off where she had started her video off on. This video had begun with a dark figure who appeared to be Julia positioning the camera up on a shelf in a dark bedroom. After she was satisfied with the setup of the camera, she stood back from the lens, revealing Soul lying asleep in his bed behind her.

With a smile on her face, she crept up to the foot of the bed slowly. The creaks from the bedsprings signified that the video Julia had given him and his parents had also been muted as well. This boiled Wes' blood; he did not dare look back at Julia.

Soul jumped out of fright when Julia inched closer to him. He quickly jolted his head up , rubbing his eyes, but he didn't look any less aggravated when he saw who it was. Julia smirked.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing in my bed?! Get lost!" Soul commanded as the vixen crawled under his sheets. Julia slipped under Soul's arm, sliding her dainty fingers over his bare chest and closing in on him. He tried backing away from her, fruitlessly and Wes caught on to what was really going on here. His eyes widened and his lips tightened into a thin line.

"Seriously, Julia, get out of here, now!" Soul yelled louder, scowling down at her. She giggled under her breath and continued to move closer to him.

"Aww, come on. Don't you wanna play?" she spoke in a seductive voice that brought chills up even Wes' back. Before Wes knew it, the scene he had seen on Julia's disk that fateful day unfolds before him. Soul grabs both of Julia's wandering hands and pins her down before she could even blink.

"FUCKING STOP! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" he growled at her, not even the slightest bit amused. That's when Julia began to screech and kick Soul until he finally released her. Julia was then seen running out of the room, leaving Soul dumbfounded, looking at his bedroom door.

"Crazy bitch. Wes needs to put a handle on this one." Soul falls back asleep, dismissing the event that had just occurred.

Next, the video had skipped to a different time. Soul was still fast asleep, but the room looked much lighter, as if it had been around 5 or 6 in the morning. His bedroom door had once again opened and through it walked a sneaky fiancé, retrieving the camera she had left behind. She tiptoed over to the camera and giggled, seeing that the camera had recorded just what she needed.

"This is golden! Your money is as good as mine!" she said before the video cut off. There was a deep moment of silence. If you saw the look on Wes' face, you would doubt he knew nothing before watching the video. His jaw was not ajar, his eyes were not wide. In fact, his expression was completely blank. Why, you ask? Because he was numb. He had never expected to be played this easily, but he had. That alone was enough to paralyze him. The fact that he gave up his own little brother for this conniving little gold digger; it was completely inexcusable.

He slowly lifted the hand latching onto the remote and he shut off the CD player. Behind him, he looks to the space where Julia had stood, but when he discovered that nobody was now occupying that space, he finally let out a breath for the first time since the video began. She was gone. Gone without a trace… but could he really afford to worry about that right now? No. He had other things that needed his attention right now. One of those things was setting this whole situation straight and righting his wrongs. With that in mind, the older sibling marched back to his bedroom with the folder in his hand and he slammed the door behind him, never coming back out for the rest of the evening.

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

 _Smile, Maka, smile. How do you expect to have any fun if you don't smile?_

I zipped up the back of my cocktail dress as I scanned myself from head to toe. The plan was to go out with the girls tonight. Wasn't my idea, it was Liz's, but seeing how down I've been lately, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. I needed this.

My mind spoke to me as I looked in the mirror and quickly, I removed my glum, forced look into a clean, white smile. _This'll be good for me. I need to relax every now and then. Now's the perfect time, so why not enjoy it?_

"C'mon Maka! Let's head over there before it gets too packed!" Tsubaki shouted from my living room. All the girls had gathered at my house about an hour ago, shouting some type of nonsense about drinks at the club tonight. They practically threw me in the shower the moment I unlocked my door. I chuckled to myself as I slipped on my platform heels.

"Coming!" I hollered back to the squealing ladies in the other room as they spoke about something along the line of free drinks. Supposed they'd use what they call, their 'lady charm' to woo the men into buying them drinks. Hey, I know they've got boyfriends, but nobody's gonna buy themselves a drink if they don't have to. It's not my policy, don't give me that look!

Anyway, I threw on a black coat over my short, white cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline and a transparent fabric decorating the midriff area with a pinstripe design complimenting the thin fabric. In my silver, glittered handbag that had matched my platform heels, I placed some of my red lipstick and my cellphone inside. Money was overrated tonight, so I didn't even bother.

After feeling satisfied with my state of dress, I revealed myself to the fancied-up women in my living room. They all turned together after hearing the clicks from my high heels and they practically glowed with their widening smiles. I smiled back weakly, a little nervous this time around. It's true that I went to plenty of clubs with the girls before, but this was much different. I had already gotten used to staying in with… no… nevermind, it doesn't matter.

"Maka! You look incredible! Okay, now let's get moving!" Liz said, hurrying me out the door. Of course my protesting stutters did nothing… They just threw me out onto the street, locking my doors and shutting off the lights before I even get a chance to let out a single sentence. Talk about a rush!

"Hey! You didn't have to just-!"

"Haha! Let's go!" Patty beamed, linking her arms with all of us together. We all linked arms as we strutted down the street in a line. Nothing further was said except for the occasional conversations about how wasted they were gonna get tonight. I, however, stayed out of the conversation and just concentrated on trying not to trip over my own feet with how fast the girls were making me walk! _Jeez, guys! Could you at least TRY not to let me fall flat on my face in public!?_

 ***WHISTLE*** "Hey ladies, you wanna come hang with a real man tonight?" some creep on the street said. Normally, I would Maka-chop the guy into oblivion, but tonight wasn't a normal night. Instead, I let the cat-calls and the whistles continue unaddressed. I mean, it's whatever, right?

"So, how ya' feeling, Maka?" Liz asked, leaning forward to get a good look at me from behind Patty. I nodded in response.

"I'm all good. A little numb, but I'll be good after a couple of drinks."

"That's the spirit, Maka! Crush all those bad thoughts for a night and live a little, am I right?!" Liz cheered, pumping the rest of us up for a night we've long been waiting to have once again.

 _After tonight, I'm gonna have to pull myself together. I have to get back on track. That's what he wants, right?_ I guess even getting all dressed up for some drinks just wouldn't cut it quite yet. Soul still popped up. I should've known getting involved with him again would be the wrong thing to do. Now look at me! I'm a freakin' mess! It was an accident that we had even met after all these years in the first place. Knowing this fact wasn't helping, though. It didn't change the fact that it _did_ happen. I fell for someone I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved with. That's my own fault… but who cares. Tonight, I planned on having a good time!

"Well, here we are ladies. Let's let loose tonight!" Tsubaki cheered, breaking the chain of linked arms as we walked in the booming, music-infested club. The sounds were nearly deafening, but I knew from the looks of the body shots and the dancers on the colorful dancefloor grinding up against each other that tonight was gonna be wild.

 _First things first, drinks!_ The four of us made a bee line straight for the stools in front of the bartender (who was very cute, might I add). Liz was first up. All of us leaned over the counter, giggling and batting our eyelashes at the bartender who was cleaning out the shot glasses.

"Hey, what's a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?" Liz asked in her seductive, womanly voice that she uses to get Kid do what she wants him to do. (Works every time!) The bartender smirked at her as his eyes wandered down to her plump breasts that sat atop her crossed arms that rested over the counter. He looked at all of us the same, but when his eyes fell on me, I blushed unknowingly and that alone caused him to wink back at me. He returned his gaze to Liz and answered her question in an equally sweet voice that sent unpleasant shivers down my spine. Anything to get a drink though, right?

"What can I get for you, ladies?" he asked. Liz was in charge of ordering the unlimited shots of patron. She figured it'd be a good idea to start the night off with a drinking contest (to which none of us disagreed to). The bartender swiftly made off with our orders ad fetched the shot glasses and the huge bottle of patron. He set a single glass in front of each of us and poured the patron to the brim, making sure to make close eye contact with all of us. I had this pervy vibe from him, so I paid him no mind. The others, however… Let's just say that their boyfriends would be shocked to see the way they act for free alcohol. _Liz especially._

"Alright ladies, on three! One… two… THREE!" Liz commanded, signaling all of us to throw back our drinks. The drink was bitter going down, but I enjoyed the burn. I craved it, even. The girls were a lot less tolerable to alcohol than I was. (I know, such a surprise… HA HA HA, SOOO FUNNY.)

"Bartender, hit me with another. This time, give me the strongest stuff you got," I ordered, clanking the glass back down on the bar for him to take. He cocked an eyebrow at me curiously, but he did as I asked. Without a single second to spare, the man returned with a smaller bottle of… come to think of it, I don't even think I asked what he was pouring in my glass… _oh well._ Anyway, he poured the liquor into my glass, never looking away from my heated cheeks as I still felt the after-burn of the patron. I eyed the glass and snatched it off of the counter, throwing in back and gulping it down in just a second.

"You sure know how to have fun, don't you, babe… Want another?" I nodded in response, disregarding the fact that he called me a name I didn't appreciate coming from him. He didn't say much on the matter either. Instead, he poured me another drink. And then another. And more. Then again. I didn't stop him. I had no intention of stopping him. I wanted to feel nice as well as the other girls, so I kept them coming. Somewhere along the way, I had him stop serving me the alcohol I a tiny shot glass. Instead, I upgraded to a large glass cup as I gulped the strong drink down.

Next thing I know as I'm about to throw back my 4th or 5th drink, I get a tap on the shoulder. It was Liz. She giggled as she reached for my hand and pulled me out of my bar stool and into the crowd of dancing, sweaty, drunken men and women. We shoved through to the center of the dancefloor, getting bumped all around by grinders from left to right.

The smell of sweat, strong liquor, blood and vomit wafted my nostrils as soon as we reached the middle of the floor, but neither the drunken Liz nor I cared the least bit. I threw back the rest of my drink in my cup and mindlessly let it roll out of my hand. The glass dropped to the ground as it was kicked around until the sight of it was gone. In our tipsy states, Liz and I laughed and began dancing to the beat of the music. We grinded against each other, wooing and raising our hands in the air like the others in the crowd. We both sang along to the lyrics and partied like we were teenagers again.

Liz danced harder and harder and when the song finally transitioned into something slower and sexier, she had disappeared into the new appearing crowd. Of course, how could I not lose track of her? _Hm? She's gone… Oh well, she'll turn up again sooner or later._ The alcohol slowly began to settle in, but I wasn't ready at all to give up a good time. So I danced. I danced alone in the middle of the dancefloor, swaying my hips and loosely rolling my body to the sound of the song.

 _I want to go far tonight. I deserve to have a little fun, so why not get a little crazy tonight?_ Right when I was thinking this, I felt a pair of eyes lock onto my body. The person's stare was intense, but it felt… nice. I gave them a show, hoisting my dress up and little and rolling my hips. I didn't know who the person was, but I didn't think it mattered much.

Suddenly, I feel someone's body pressing up against me from behind and placing their hands on each side of my hip. I grinned as we both began moving together in synchronization.

"Hmmm, finally came out of hiding to come play?" I asked, my voice challenging the booming music. The man laughed and pressed his rosy, soft lips to the shell of my ear, making me lean back into him more as my skin jumped.

"I couldn't help myself. You look so good in that dress," he responded, moving his hands a little lower to which I responded with a giggle. _I've had enough drinks. Why not go home with this guy? You only live once, right?_ My drunken mind was made up.

"Wanna see more?" I asked, smirking and fluttering my eyelashes a bit as I pressed my ass up against his groin as a teasing method. It worked… well.

"You sure you wanna come home with me?" he asked in a sexy, yet gentlemanly voice.

"Ready when you are." He chuckled and grabbed one of my hands, linking our fingers together in a rough fashion.

"Follow me." And with that… we were off to _his_ place.

* * *

 _THE MORNING AFTER:_

 _Ughhhh… my head. Damn, I must've drank so much yesterday, I can hardly remember a thing._

I made an attempt to get up from the bed, but when the covers slid off of me, I felt a cold draft all over my body. I looked down at myself and found myself completely naked. Also, when I looked down, I had realized that this wasn't my room.

 _Hey, this isn't my bed… this isn't my room either. Where am I? What the-._

In the middle of my thought, I felt a heavy, muscular arm sling over my body and pull me closer. I flinched and stared into nothingness with saucer-wide eyes. I did not dare look back at whose arm that could possibly be.

 _Pleaaaaaaseeee. Please, let this be Soul. Let this all be a dream and let it be Soul who snuck into bed with me… Anything but this._

I knew in my mind that it couldn't have possibly been Soul, but it was happy dreaming. Partly with terror, I turned around slowly to the person behind me, hoping to whoever was up there that it wasn't some ugly creep. (Even I can admit that I drank waaaay too much last night!) I turned and turned until I finally had the courage to see whose arm this belonged to. Finally, I turned around all the way… and immediately regretted my whole entire night.

 _You have got… TO BE FUCKING SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW._

 **A/N: Awww, doesn't cliffhangers suck? (; Hehe! Sorry, but this is all too perfect! Besides, we need a little suspense after how morbid and dull the past few chapters have been! Let me know! Who do you think it is? Maka, Maka, Maka, you really should be more careful who you go home with (; Ha! Well, once again, if there is any delay on an update, you can find out on laurneathefirst's snapchat account. I've been VEEERRRYYYY busy lately, so please be patient with me. :D I will be seeing you all very soon so stay beautiful, stay happy and happy reading! ;* (:**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** **HELLOOOOO! Yes, of course, you read correctly. Chapter Fourteen is up and running! For those of you who have followed laurneathefirst's snapchat, you would know that this took me a SUPER long time to get back into because I was vacationing in Aruba just recently! Ahh, how nice it was (: Now I'm back to reality and jumping on a thousand things at once from finals to projects to making up my hours at work and paying off my debt to the school before graduation. AHHH I'M SO PUMPED! Also, I have been contacted by a couple of model agencies who want me to try to model for them as a test run before getting me into the real thing, so I'm super excited about that. Speaking of modeling, I just volunteered to model my hairdressing academy's soiree show just yesterday! It was soooo fun! We got our hair done, our makeup done, we got our photos taken and we got to walk on a catwalk! OHMIGOSH! ...ahem... sorry, I got a little carried away there. No one cares about my personal life, heh heh. *rubs back of head awkwardly***

 **ANYWAY, yes, I after all that business, I was finally able to fit in some time to finish this chapter. Good timing as well since everything's about to slow down after I get all my work done so I'll definitely be reworking Chapter Fifteen a couple times before it's perfected. A guaranteed time isn't really something I can give right now, but I promise you that I'm working SUPER hard to make us go out with a bang! This is a great story and every great story deserves a great ending. And I hear all of you, don't worry. The sexy time has not been forgotten about (;**

 **Alrighty then! Without further ado, I bring you... Chapter Fourteen of Mama, I'm In Love With a Criminal! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! Happy reading! (; ;***

 _CHAPTER FOURTEEN:_

 _PREVIOUSLY ON MAMA, I'M IN LOVE WITH A CRIMINAL-_

 _"I need your help. I think you're the only one I can trust with this."_

 _"No."_

 _"Listen, I know that this may look bad but-."_

 _"My so-called brother steals my jewels, tries to make a move on my fiancé, hits me over the head with a violin and you expect me to bail him out? Forget it," he spoke coldly, raising his voice a little._

 _Soul, damn you! Why do you have to only think about yourself?! Did you ever stop to think how I'd feel about all this?! I don't want the burden of knowing that I'm part of the reason why you're in jail for such a long time. God, you're an idiot!_

 _…It's over. If Wes can't help me, then that's the end of it…_

 _"They're lies!"_

 _"Lies? Really? They look pretty convincing to me, Julia! What's all these videos? What are all of these call logs, huh?! And according to these notes, you've been taking out large amounts of cash out of your account CONVIENTLY around the same time the cops went on those search parties for these men?! What the hell does that mean, are you bribing them or something?!"_

 _"If you're lying, the CD will show just what happened-"_

 _"FUCKING STOP! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" he growled at her, not even the slightest bit amused. That's when Julia began to screech and kick Soul until he finally released her._

 _Behind him, he looks to the space where Julia had stood, but when he discovered that nobody was now occupying that space, he finally let out a breath for the first time since the video began. She was gone. Gone without a trace… but could he really afford to worry about that right now? No. He had other things that needed his attention right now._

 _I'm all good. A little numb, but I'll be good after a couple of drinks."_

 _"That's the spirit, Maka! Crush all those bad thoughts for a night and live a little, am I right?!"_

 _"Alright ladies, on three! One… two… THREE!"_

 _"Hmmm, finally came out of hiding to come play?"_

 _"I couldn't help myself. You look so good in that dress," he responded, moving his hands a little lower to which I responded with a giggle. I've had enough drinks. Why not go home with this guy? You only live once, right? My drunken mind was made up._

 _"Wanna see more?"_

 _"You sure you wanna come home with me?"_

 _"Ready when you are."_

 _Hey, this isn't my bed… this isn't my room either. Where am I? What the-._

 _Finally, I turned around all the way… and immediately regretted my whole entire night._

 _You have got… TO BE FUCKING SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW._

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

 _You have got to be joking… This is a joke, right? No… no, this isn't funny!_

Who's sleeping next to me right now? Do you really even have to ask? I'll give you one guess… I've been avoiding him since my college years.

The man I knew as a no-good cheating bastard turned in bed once again and faced me straight on, opening his eyes slowly as he groaned. _Clearly, he has had a lot to drink last night as well. As I look at him, I'm getting some of my memory back… not that I WANT it back._

Chris opened his eyes and trailed his eyes up my body until they met my eyes. I'll be honest, I was a little shaken up as he looked into my eyes. I had been trying to avoid him all these years but here we are… Just like we used to be in what someone else would call it, 'the good ol' days'. We both stared each other deeply in the eyes, waiting for one person to say something first to break the awkward silence that was forming between us.

"Ughhh…" he groans, sitting up in bed and rubbing the side of his head. I covered my chest up with the blanket and inched a little away from him, wanting oh-so-badly to just make a run for it. It wouldn't happen though. I was frozen with shock, fear… and a lot of other emotions that would take too much time to explain.

Chris looks to me from the corner of his eye as he rubs the side of his head, his muscular, football-playing, athletic arms bulging. It was actually kinda… hot. _Wait, wait, no! I can't think that way about him! He hurt me and he deserves nothing but hatred from me!_

"Hey, uh, listen… Sorry if I got carried away last night. My name's Chris. Uh, yeah, so, uh I'm actually into someone already, so I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression last night, but I'm not looking to do this again. Sorry." He spoke in a bored tone as if he had said this a thousand time already. It honesty made me sick to the point where I had realized that I had been glaring him down the entire time he spoke. _Who does he think he is? And why is he speaking to me like he doesn't remember who I am? How could you not remember the girl you CHEATED on with that sleazy, older, purple-haired woman?!_ The more I looked at his stupid, pretentious face, the angrier I became. I threw the blankets off me and retrieved my clothes, angrily and harshly putting them back on to cover myself.

"Yeah… I did get the wrong impression about you. So how's things with your older, abnormal hair-colored bitch?" I snapped as I clipped my bra back on. He cocked an eyebrow at me, bafflingly.

"What?"

"You had the audacity to cheat on me… ME. The only who was honestly there for you when you needed me! I got to hand it to you though, Christopher. You're a piece of work. You changed me so much-"

"Maka-?"

"But here I am. Better than ever! All on my own like I should be… Thanks for showing me that. Thanks for showing me that being alone is what's best for me." I continued to ramble on as tears began to form down the sides of my cheeks. I didn't even bother to look him in the eye after that. After I slipped back into my cocktail dress, I grabbed my heels and my purse and said my peace.

"When you fall in love, you only get hurt… Used and then thrown away like you never even mattered. Well that's just fine! I don't need love anyway! Not if this is how it feels… Goodbye, Chris."

"Maka, wait!" he called after me. He jumped out of bed when the realization of who I was finally hit him. Suddenly, before I could even take a step out the door, I feel a strong arm, wrapping itself around my torso, keeping me from moving any further. The tears halted as my eyes shot wide open in surprise. That grab was enough to knock me back out of my heart and back into my mind.

"Maka, is that really you?" he whispers silently, as if afraid to be wronged. A sigh deeply trailed out from my mouth and I slumped over in defeat. _I'd have to face him someday… There was only a matter of time before we ran into each other again… This is just bad timing._

"…yeah… it's me."

"Maka!" Chris spun me around quickly and looked deeply into my crystal emeralds and the last of my tears fell down my face in slow motion. As he lovingly stared back into my eyes unlike any time before, he brushed away the tears roughly and slammed me into a tight embrace.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. You left so suddenly. Nothing was the same without you. I'm sorry, Maka, I really am. I should've been faithful. You don't deserve to be left broken-hearted, especially not for a girl like Blair. I'm so, so sorry, Maka, you don't understand…" After all this time… I finally got to hear the words I had only dreamt that he would say. Yet… these words meant nothing to me.

"…it doesn't matter," I whispered in a deadly tone. I felt Chris' arms clam up when I said this, but they were still locked onto me as if he were to say he was never gonna let anything like that happen to me again.

"What?"

"It doesn't matter how much you apologize." I lifted my head and pushed his arms up off of me. When I looked back at him, he was wearing an apologetic frown, but again, this meant nothing. My emotionless stare was enough to indicate that much at least.

"A lot has happened since I left you, Chris. No amount of apologies could ever make up for the hurt you caused me and it won't change what I've gone through." There was a moment of silence for a few seconds. He didn't really know how to process what I just said. Probably thought I'd be happy to have him back… but if I'm gonna be honest with you, I'd rather we just pretend like we never happened.

"Maka… I know I hurt you. I was hurt too when I found out that you dropped out and left. I thought that you'd contact me at some point… but it's been 2 years now."

"Do you not get it? I saw you. I saw you with that woman. Did you think I'd just forget about that, Christopher? You didn't fight for me when you were having sex with her in our bed, so what makes you think I'd believe that you'd fight for me now?"

"I know… I left Blair, though. We're done. You're the one I want. I've been looking for you all over-"

"You didn't need to. I'm fine," I stated, crossing my arms and looking away from him with a minor scowl. He gave the 'bullshit' look and turned my face to his.

"Yeah, that's why you're getting wasted with the girls again. Look, I know you. I know when something's bothering you and I want to be there, Maka. I really do," he pleaded. He could still read me like a book after all these years, but not quite. Of course I was bothered, but before this morning, it had nothing to do with him in the slightest. This right here is only adding onto the list.

"The only thing that was bothering me last night had nothing to do with you and it's nothing you can help me with." He was silent, listening patiently and waiting for me to finally grant him access back into my life. It wasn't needed honestly. This was just a minor setback that should've never happened.

"This was a mistake, Chris. I need to go now." I began walking away, but he once again put his hand on my arm to halt me. I scowled back at him this time, but he didn't back down. He grabbed a piece of paper on his dresser and began to write a number down on it.

"If you're gonna leave, at least take this with you," he insisted, placing the folded number into my purse for safe-keeping.

"Give me a call. Anytime, anywhere, no matter what or why, just call. I'll be here." I looked down into my purse at the note, contemplating whether or not I should throw it out when I leave. _I should rip it to shreds right here and now._

"Thanks, Chris, but I won't be needing it. Goodbye," I finally said before shaking his arm away and speedwalking out of the apartment. Chris didn't try to stop me this time. When I stepped back out into te bright sunlight, I squinted my eyes as tears slid down my face. From the brightness of the sun or from the emotional encounter I just got out of, I couldn't tell. Either way, I wiped them away and breathed in the fresh air to clear my foggy, pained head.

I looked around the environment that looked quite familiar to something in the city that I've seen before, which was pretty satisfying enough. _At least I know where I am. I have to get back home and settle things with the girls before work. Where did they even go? I hope they made it home safely._

The walk home began. I probably looked like a hot mess walking around in smeared makeup and an old, wrinkly cocktail dress that was clearly worn the night before. Chances are that few people even got a chance to get a good look at me since my goal was to get home as fast as humanly possible while walking in heels. I was in an excrutiating amount of pain when I got home, but that's what I get for going home with a guy drunk and since no one was around to slap me on the wrist for it, this was a befitting punishment for a grown 23 year old woman.

 _My memory is starting to come back to me in pieces now. I remember losing Liz in the crowd and then some guy came up from behind me. 'Spose that was Chris… I flirted with him a little on the dancefloor and then I… I was the one that came onto HIM?! Wow, how drunk do you have to be? He took me home and- OW, do I have a bruise on my leg? It's starting to hurt a little._ I look down at my left calve and of coure, with my clumsiness, there was a blue and purple bruise.

 _Yep, a bruise. I tumbled down the stairs a little when he brought me inside. After that, we went straight into the bedroom… We took each other's clothes off… We jumped right into it and if I remember correctly, it wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be. It just wasn't the same touch as-. No, nothing._

I shook my head from side to side, trying to knock any unclean thoughts from it. Guess the sex with the ex just wasn't enough to clear my head like I thought it would. It's just… his touch couldn't even compare to the one person's touch who lit my skin on fire. Chris never had that affect. His sex was average at best, but that one experience with Soul was much more affective (and we hadn't even really gone as far as I have with Chris!) That time with Soul popped up in my head plenty of times while I had been with Chris and I'll be honest, I felt a little guilty. Nobody wants to have sex with someone who isn't even thinking of them in the moment… Ah, whatever. Let's just stop talking about it. I have more important matters to attend to.

As I approached the door to my apartment, I quickly unlocked the door and flew to the living room to check the clock. Outside, it was pretty bright, so I had assumed that it was already approaching 12 o'clock, but to my luck, it was only 8am. _Only an hour late. I'm sure I could just be allowed to stay a little longer to make up for the lost time. In that case, I have to move fast if I wanna get away with a slap on the wrist._

Without bothering to lay out my clothes for the day, I fled to the bathroom to run a hot shower. I stripped down to my bare skin, only to be greeting with more flashbacks from the night before. A large sigh escaped my lips, for the regret I hadn't felt last night began to catch up with me. There I was, standing under the lukewarm water that trickled down my body, mindlessly staring at the pale walls before me. Never had I ever felt the need to scrub my body so hard to wash off the remainder of last night.

 _Why...?_ As I rinsed off the suds from the body wash, my cheeks began to heat up and tears began to form. Chills ran up my spine and the energy within me began to deplete as quickly as a falling pebble. I leaned on the shower wall to support myself from falling over and I stared at the draining water blankly.

 _Why… do I feel this way? I should be fine right now. I had a night to myself for the first time in forever and after all I'd done... Ugh! Everything should've been fine… So why do I feel like such a complete, hopeless wreck? How did I come to fall so hard until I hit rock bottom? Damnit, why am I crying?!_

I wiped my eyes and proceeded to clean myself after gaining enough strength to stand without support. _It can't be this way. I have to get over this bump in the road… could it be that I can't let go of Soul as easily as I thought? …Well that just won't do. I can't wait for him. He doesn't even want me! Why should I have to sit around for 30-something years for him to be released when he doesn't even feel the same way that I feel about him? That wouldn't be fair at all… I shouldn't have to wait for him like this. No, I don't want to!_

Although I knew this, of course I was still trying to argue with myself and making up reasons why I _should_ wait for him. In the end, what I _thought_ didn't matter… what I _did_ didn't matter… none of that mattered anymore. This situation was my reality and there was no escaping the inevitable. It was 'put up – or shut up'. _Well… I can only 'put up' with this situation for so long. The best course of action is to shut up and deal with the facts. Soul won't be coming back. Face it already, you dumbass. It's your fault for falling for an imaginary romance idiot. How could you be this pathetic?_

I wiped the remainder of my tears away and turned off the water to proceed getting ready for work. _It won't be easy to get back to how things were before Soul, but this is my mess and I've got to clean it. Just give it up already, girl._ It was a nice dream for me to have believed that I could've been of help to Soul, but that chapter in my life's gotta end somewhere… So I'm turning the page. Let's just hope it'll get easier like other people say.

Down the drain went my tears, my feelings and the past along with them. I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower to dry myself quickly. The towel was wrapped around my body and I rushed towards the door, but not before turning to the mirror for a moment. _This will be good for you. Promise._ I nodded to my reflection, trusting my conscience and made the final decision as I closed the door behind me.

* * *

 _NORMAL P.O.V_

Elsewhere, an impatient and jumpy man tapped his foot on the ground as he tapped a finger on the table before him, awaiting a man he never thought he'd ever have to encounter again. The man stared at the manila folder laid out on the table and he clenched the edge of the table tightly with whitening knuckles. _I need to fix this,_ he thought. If you haven't already pieced the picture together already, then I'll let you know who this man is.

This man is responsible for the detainment of his younger brother. This man is the fiancée to a lying, deceiving woman who as now fled into hiding. This man is the only one who can turn things around. This man… is Wes Evans.

A dinging bell placed atop the door to the café chimed, catching a fidgety Wes' attention. His eyes shot up to the person entering the building and he swallowed down a lump in his throat as the man scanned the room for him. When this man's blue eyes finally met Wes', he smiled warmly and proceeded to his table. Wes straightened up as the blonde-haired, blue eyed, priest-attire wearing lawyer approached him.

"Hello, Wes Evans. My name is Justin Law," the lawyer greeted after halting next to his chair across from his beckoner.

"I was the defendant's attorney for the case involving your brother, Soul and your fiancée… but you already knew that, didn't you?" Mr. Law joked, offering a hand to shake. Wes' eyes moved from his outstretched hand, grabbing it and shaking it firmly, to the headphones placed in the lawyer's ears.

"Oh, yes…hello…umm." Wes grew more and more soft as he spoke. _Can he even hear me?_

"No worries. I can read lips just fine," Justin said, reassuring Wes. Justin helped himself to the chair across the table and laid down his things next to him on the floor. The older brother felt a little more at ease as Justin smiled at him comfortingly. In the beginning, Wes hadn't been sure if talking to Justin would be the right course of action. How _couldn'_ t he be worried? He had never even thought of getting someone set free from jail. No, definitely not that. To make matters even worse… he was alone. The only one on his side was his self and that little envelope. Wes knew full-well that if he were to try to depend on his parents for help, he'd only get a big slap in the face. Dishonoring the family by breaking out a criminal and justifying his crimes would be unthinkable for a bunch of egotisical maniacs like this mother and father.

"So originally, you called me here to further discuss the case, am I correct?" Justin asked for clarity. Wes nodded his head, wordlessly. The plan was simple. Wes would call Justin Law, the defendant's lawyer in for a meeting and he would present the evidence to him that Soul is actually the real victim of the crime. From there, Justin would consult a judge and hopefully pull some strings to either get another cased opened or appeal the last case. An appeal was more likely. So long as it got them somewhere towards Soul's release, Wes would be satisfied. He was confident that he didn't know much about appeals or courts in general for that matter, but he knew that if there was one person who'd be on his side without having to hesitate for an answer, he could depend on Soul's lawyer.

"There seems to have been a mistake," Wes started. Justin's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he tilted his head a little to the side.

"A mistake?" Wes slid the folder towards Justin with a look now cloaked with determination instead of unsurity.

"My brother was set up. Turns out my fiancée had lied about everything she had testified and I have the documented and recorded proof to back it up. I want to fix my mistake and get Soul out of there to switch places with Julia. All the evidence is in that folder."

"…mind if I take a look?" he asked. Wes nodded his head, allowing access to the information contained in the folder. Justin opened the folder and began flipping through each page, skimming through the information briefly. His hard, concentrated look instantly turned to one of shock. It was concrete evidence that was actually documented... but it wasn't created by a cop, that much he could tell.  
In fact, from what we could grab from the last case, the investigation carried out by the police wasn't even thorough. If it was, then they wouldn't have held the case so soon after Soul was detained. Surprisingly enough to Justin, these documents weren't just of Soul's case and the evidence against Julia; the whole entire portfolio was evidence against everything that Julia came out to the public with. All the infamous cases of sexual assault that happened within the time span of the last 9 years in fact! This was a huge discovery that even he was surprised existed. _Someone must've dedicated their lives to putting Julia behind bars if THIS much contradictory evidence has been documented thoroughly,_ the lawyer thought.

Justin sets the papers neatly back into a pile and tucks them away into the folder. It wasn't his business to get involved closely with his clients, but he fact that Soul took the fall for a suspicious woman such as Julia who had a rep for filing reports of sexual abuse or assault bothered him deeply. It was like she had planned this out so everyone but her would lose; which made him considerably suspicious and curious about the woman. With this folder, he was sure he could open up a successful appeal case. Julia would soon behind bars, a free man will walk once again and for Justin, well, it's not to say his rep would be totally trashed if he were to uncover such a mystery as to what Julia's true motive behind all these mysterious, shady cases were. In fact, if he were to solve this problem, he'd maybe even go down as one of the best attorneys this state has ever seen. Maybe even the best attorney this _country_ has ever seen! But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. This appeal would be huge and very risky at that. It is not something that should be taken lightly, especially when he's up against the wealthy. One word from them and this appeal could go amiss with a blink of an eye.

Justin crossed his hands over the table and cleared his throat. Wes, with every passing second grew more desperate and worried that there may not be any easy solution to their problem. Nevertheless, he had to at least give it a go. Anything is better than nothing.

"The way I see it, there's a chance that with this information, we could open up an investigation and pursue an appeal case on Soul's behalf. I can help you, but you have to know that this case isn't gonna solve itself overnight. Soul's against the whole entire city and maybe even the whole entire county. People aren't going to be so open to letting him out just like that," Justin warned. Wes nodded and sighed a breath of relief that he had been holding in as Justin read the papers.

"I understand that I'm taking a risk in reopening this case. Regardless, I can't let this go like this. I'll pay whatever's necessary, just please… I need my brother back," Wes whispered. Clearly he was still coming to grips with the fact that the whole situation Julia told him was made up. He hated to admit that he was wrong, but this time, he was oh-so, very wrong. Justin smiled to comfort Wes and he tapped his hand on the table.

"Who else knows about these documents?" Justin asked. Wes shrugged his shoulders, but then he recalled something.

"I'm not sure. That girl… Maka, I think it was. She was the one who gave them to me. She came ot my doorstep yesterday, begging me to get Soul out. I didn't know where she got it, but at the time, I had no intentions of taking her up on it. Then, of course, I looked inside the folder and… well, I'm sure you can guess the rest."

"Okay, and Julia?" Wes shook his head in shame and looked down at his lap, sighing away an anger that he still felt for that woman. Just hearing her name made him want to find her himself to drag her into the cell where she belonged.

"Well, she's probably long gone now. I confronted her last night with the tapes inside the folder and then she disappeared when I had my back turned. She hasn't called or come by at all since then. I'm almost positive she made a run for it."

"Have you contacted the police?"

"No. I haven't opened up any kind of investigation. I figured talking to you first would be the best thing for me since I have no idea what I'm doing," Wes said confidently. He wasn't proud of the predicament he was putting himself in, but he honestly had no idea how to go about this investigation the best way possible. As soon as Julia fled, Wes sought out Justin and… well… here they are. Despite Wes beating himself up inside for not doing the obvious thing to do by calling the police first, Justin continued to reassure him with nods of understanding.

"That's alright. I'll look into it. I'm assuming your parents don't know about this either?" That was a stupid question. Of course he wouldn't tell his lunatic parents who are obsessed with public images. If he were to tell them, there would be no investigation at all. This whole case would just be pushed under the carpet so that they still look like the heroes of Death City for locking up one of Death City's sneakiest criminals.

"No, not a word. Even if I did tell them, I'm sure they wouldn't be backing me up anyway. This one, I'm going in on my own." Justin smirked and gathered his papers, collecting and packing away the manila folder Wes handed to him.

"Alright. I'm gonna do some reviewing and I'll handle the judge. We'll get an investigation opened back up and with that, we'll set up an appeal trial for Soul." Justin slung his back over his shoulder and stood up from the table. Wes, like a confused child gave a worried glance up at the towering priestly attorney.

"And what's gonna happen to Soul in the mean time?"

"Soul's still gonna be held in his cell in the state prison until the time for the trial nears. You are welcome to visit him at any point, but personally, I don't recommend it. After working with Soul, I'd know that he wouldn't take a reopened case of his to take place. He put himself in there for a reason he finds valid, so I don't see him taking this appeal lightly. Maybe it'd be best to tell him about the case once things start to get into the process." Justin was completely right. Soul _wanted_ to serve his time. He put himself in there because of a cause that he found was suitable, so he wouldn't be so eager to venture back out into a world that doesn't accept him. The best course of action was to sneak the case up on him and surprise him with it last minute so he couldn't do anything about it. These two were determined to get Soul out of there whether they had to fight him for it or not.

"I understand," Wes muttered. He was somewhat relieved by this, actually. He wasn't quite sure about what on Earth he would say to the brother he betrayed for a fake love. He wasn't prepared to face his younger brother just yet, so this would give him some time to get his act together.

Justin was just about to turn away and leave Wes in the café, but when something came to mind, he turned back around and warned Wes of one thing.

"Oh and about Maka," he started. "I think Soul would want to keep this case away from her. This appeal should be kept a secret from her. He just risked his freedom to keep her out of the loop, so I think it's best to respect his wishes and not get her involved any further than she needs to be. She got us the perfect evidence against Julia and her family, but let's not say anything about this to her, okay?"

"Yes, I agree. She's too far deep in this. I'll keep quiet," Wes promised. Justin nodded once and thineed his lip sinto one straight line.

"You've done a very bold thing, doing this. I will call you in a few days after I've reviewed the material you've given me."

"Alright, thank you for meeting me," Wes thanked, getting up from his seat and holding out to shake hands with the lawyer. Mr. Law accepted the hand and shook once, nice and firm. They bid their farewells and parted ways.

Wes began on his way home after Justin left the café and as he walked down the street, a flurry of thoughts came crashing down into his mind. Mainly about Maka. He knew that he owed her this much for her help in opening this case. He owed it to her to win and bring back to her the man she came to his doorstep, begging for. Wes assumed that he put her through a lot of trouble and pain being with Soul when he was wanted all over the city. That was mainly his fault for being so blind to not even see the truth past his lying fiancé. EX-fiance. He made sure to remind himself after winning the trial to thank her for opening his eyes to what he just couldn't see. After this whole ordeal was over, he'd be sure to do so.

* * *

 _AKANE'S P.O.V_

"This one's free of charge, Eater. I'm bending the rules for you this time, but it's just this once, got it?" I firmly warned. The receiver translated a sigh and a muttered, 'yeah' response from the other line. Eater got me on this one. He went around my rules, so I couldn't deny him this service, but a part of me hated to do it.

I was approaching a large, tall building known as the newspaper publishing company. It was where Maka was known to work. In my hand, I carried my cellphone with Soul waiting patiently on the other end. The sun was beginning to set and my work was just about to begin. Firstly, though, I had to meet a certain someone.

I approached the entrance of the tall skyscraper and watched as Maka was the last one the exit the building. Seeing her, I took caution. I tucked away the phone in my sweater pocket and made sure that Soul was still able to hear me. Maka locked the doors to the building when I snuck up behind her.

"All alone again, I see," I whispered softly into her ear from behind her. She jolted in surprise and quickly turned around with wide, saucer sized eyes. When she recognized who I was, she smiled warmly and patted my shoulder.

"Oh! Hi, Akane. What're you doing here?" she asked. I tilted my head to the side and gave her a sly grin.

"Work," I answered plainly. By the way that she nodded awkwardly and shifted her stance, I could tell she got the picture. I chuckled under my breath and received her attention once again.

"So… word on the street is, you went home with a guy last night," I said, knowingly. She furrowed her brow and nodded.

"How did you know that?"

"These streets have ears and eyes. There's nothing about you that I don't know. It's my job to know." Maka sighed and nodded defeatedly, shifting her position once more. She looked around to see if anyone was around to hear and in my pocket, I shifted the phone to make sure Soul got a clear sound.

"Yeah, it's true. I was drunk out of my mind and… you know… went home with him." I crossed my arms and chuckled, looking down at her.

"Didn't know you had it in you. Well… you don't look very happy for someone who just got laid. What's wrong?" Maka crossed her arms as her expression saddened. She looked away from me and spoke plainly.

"I wouldn't. I found out this morning that it was my ex." She seemed pretty bummed out by that. I was almost positive that the look she was giving me now was probably the same look that Soul was making on the other side of the line. I tried to get as much information out of her as possible without her knowing which shouldn't have been too hard. I've done it before, but this time, it was a lot harder. We've got no time to waste, so I proceeded in slowly wrapping up this conversation before Soul's time ran out.

"You slept with your ex, Maka?" I asked. She nodded shamefully.

"I didn't know who it was. I didn't really care last night. It was just a matter of getting my mind off of things."

"It doesn't matter. You've been through a lot recently and you don't need more shit to deal with. After what you got yourself out of, I think you should lay off the men for a while. Give yourself some time to breathe." Maka was silent at this. She knew damn well I was right and frankly, the idea of her getting caught up with her ex again angered me. I knew all about her situation with her ex, Chris. There was nothing I didn't know about her, as I said. What I also know is that he's no prince charming. I'd sooner let her spend her life waiting on something as hopeless as Soul's release before she ran back to Chris… not that either would make me any happier.

"Just focus on yourself. You don't need anyone or anything to worry about right now." She frowned but nodded in understading nonetheless. She nudged me on the arm and smiled weakly.

"You're right. Thanks, Akane." I smiled and hugged her for a split second, just for good time's sake.

"Anytime. Now why don't you get yourself home? It's getting late and I don't want to leave you walking in the dark any later." She giggled and looked down before she returned to look in my eyes.

"Yeah, bye. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon, yeah?" I shoved my hands in my jacket pocket, gripping the cellphone and grinned for her.

"Oh, we will. I'm always around you. Ya' just got to look in the right places." I watched as she began to back away on her way home.

"I'll keep that in mind. See ya'," she finished off, turning away and walking on home. I watched her back disappear around the corner before I removed the phone from my pocket and held it back up to my ear. _Silence._

"Does that answer your question?" I asked the silent line. I hear a movement and a deep, agitated sigh. He seemed pretty frustrated, which is to be expected from a man who's locked up while his lady is out living life without him.

"…yeah," Soul murmured from the other side. Good. I don't wanna have to do this again.

"Hey, you asked. If you didn't want to hear something like that come from Maka then you should've never checked in to see how she was doing. You ARE the one wh told her to never come see you again. Nice move, jackass," I commented.

"Shut the hell up, Akane," he retorted in his raspy, exhausted voice. I smirked and scoffed. A long pause was dragged out before I finally decided to end the call.

"Goodbye, Soul," I finished. I was about to end the call, but before I could press the button, Soul's voice rang out.

"Wait!" he called.

"What?"

"…thanks." _Always has to make things personal._

"You're welcome. Oh, and a little piece of advice: Don't fuck yourself up too bad. You've got some faces waiting for you when your time is up," I said, grinning largely. Eater was silent as he tried to process what I had just told him. He never said anything back.

"Goodbye, Eater."

* * *

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

Akane ended the phone call and that was the end of that. I thought that after calling him, I would've felt a little bit better about my little… problem, but honestly, I felt even worse than when I got on the phone in the first place.

"Let's go!" the policemen shouted at me as he hurried me along. As soon as I hung up that phone, those officers were on the hunt. They pounced at me and yanked me along, back to my cell. They never let up even if it were Christmas Day. Before I knew it, I was being thrown back into a metal dungeon. They clamped the barred doors shut and resumed to their posts.

I pushed myself up off of the cold ground and sit up, leaning against the edge of my bed to support my back. I rested the back of my hand on my forehead and stared up at the dripping ceiling. The only thing I could hear, besides the footsteps clacking from outside my cell was the sound of Maka's voice when I overheard her and Akane's conversation over the phone. Sure, I couldn't see what she looked like, but I know when Maka's mood changes and right then when she was talking about her ex, she didn't sound very pleased. _Why wouldn't she be? I set her free. She's single, she's starting fresh… Sleeping with that ex of hers should be paradise for her. She loved him once, didn't she? Why wouldn't she be exstatic that he wanted her just as bad?_

Just thinking about things between those two made my heart sink deeper into my chest. _I can't be like this!_ I shook my head from side to side and rest my head in between my hands. _I can't let myself get jealous over this. All that pain and jealousy should've been buried away by now. Go away, goddamnit…_

All I'll allow myself to live with is a memory. That's all I need. I don't need hope for a better future; I'm already pretty sure of myself that life outside of these bars isn't gonna be all it's cracked up to be. Havng no place to go in the world… What's the difference? Probably end up right back in here anyway since a normal life for an ex-convict is pretty much out of the question. Forget that shit. This is as good as it gets for me, so hope ain't gonna bring nothing but a hole in the heart.

Not thinking about Maka and the way she looks, talks, smells… it was all too much for me to get rid of. I smacked my forehead, trying to push the thought of her out of my head, but nothing ever works. She's too ingrained in my thoughts.

 _Damnit! What did this girl even do, huh? What has she done to make me get so caught up so quickly? …I miss her. Seriously. I'm in idiot though. I made some bad decisions. I don't really deserve many good things in life, but hey… at least she let me in for a while. She gave me a taste of what I was missing out on. Maybe someday, I'll muster up the courage to talk to her again and thank her for her help._

 _'Don't fuck yourself up too bad. You've got some faces waiting for you when your time is up.'_

Akane's voice chimed in my head for a split second. What could that have even meant? After I pleaded guilty, I knew there was no way I was getting out of this one. I put myself in here for fuck's sake. _Who would wait for me, huh? For 36 years? I don't think so. My own family can't even accept me and in 36 years, Maka will probably have already settled down with a husband and some kids. Of course she will, who wouldn't love a woman like her? She's got it all._

I shook my head one more time and pushed myself up off the dusty cell floor. Instead of indulging in my thoughts, I put myself to work and dropped down to the floor. I positioned myself on my hands and toes and began to push up and down as I counted each push-up.

* * *

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

The front door opened and banged behind me as I heaved a long sigh from working a long day at the office. Every day just seemed to get slower and slower as it repeated itself. Nothing was much fun about my daily life, at least, not anymore. These days, I'd have to catch up on my work from the days off that I took. Almost seemed like I hadn't gone to work at all, really.

I switched on the lights in the hallway and lit up the kitchen light. My bags were thrown into a kitchen chair and I flung upon my curtains, cracking a window. It was already dark. The city was lit only by the stars, moonlight and the poorly livened street lights below.

 _Ahh, Death City,_ I thought, staring out over the skyscrapers and little houses between them. _You never fail to amaze me with how lovely you look… If only you weren't filled with such disgusting people._

I wouldn't forgive Death City. I couldn't forgive them. They were so blind and relied only on what they thought instead of listening to rational facts. That's why I'm in this freakin' mess in the first place. _Scratch that. I can't blame everyone else for my problems. Just suck it up, brat. You were always better off on your own anyway, even as a kid. Relationships just aren't my thing apparently._

I rolled my eyes and pushed myself up off of the window sill, standing right back up. _How about some music? That'll help me think clearly for a bit, right? A nice track and some cigs is all I need right now… maybe a drink while I'm at it. This kind of night deserves a glass or two._

Just as my fingers ligtly touched the 'on' switch for the stereo, my cellphone began to ring from my purse. I groaned and trudged over to my purse to fetch my phone. When I felt the edge of my phone, I latched onto it and looked at the screen to see the caller id and was relieved after recognizing the number.

"Hello?" I answered eagerly, smiling joyfully.

 _ **A/N:**_ **So... cliffhangers... we hate 'em. I know. That's why I'm gonna try to crank out this next chapter as smoothly as possible. Leave a review because I miss hearing from you guys! Ugh, I feel like it's been so long! :D Alright! I will see you guys soon so stay beautiful and stay happy! I love you all! :D ;***


	15. Chapter 15

**_A/N:_** **Heya, guys! It's late and I'm tired so I'm gonna make this quick! Graduation on Saturday, ohmigosh, so exciting, got a new car, financing it on my own for the first time, responsibilities responsibilities, more work hours to pay bills, yata yata yata, starting my hairdressing academy in July, not a lot of free time. I'll get these out as quick as I can before then. THERE! Haha! Let's get to the good stuff! DISCLAIMERS: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER OR ANY OF THE SONGS WITHIN THIS CHAPTER! Happy Reading! ;***

 _CHAPTER FIFTEEN:_

 _WES' P.O.V_

 _I'm supposed to meet that lawyer in a half hour. I should get going soon._

I folded back my button-up shirt sleeves and straightened up before leaving the house. It has been about a month since I first met up with the man and I hadn't heard anything just recently about the case so I really don't know what to expect. Julia's still missing and I haven't heard a word from her or her family. Figure they have something to hide, so I don't even bother with them. I suspected that they probably knew the whole time that their daughter was manipulating men all over, but to keep their image, much like my family would, they brush it under the carpet and keep it from the family.

Today, I was to meet with Mr. Law at the jail that Soul was staying at so we could further discuss the details of the trial as a group. Since Justin and I met up a month ago, we still, to this day have not said a word about anything to Soul. He's completely in the dark about all of this. The trial has already been scheduled for next month so now is a great time to finally bring him into the light. I was just about ready to leave the house, physically. Mentally, I was scattered everywhere and couldn't clean it up fast enough.

As I was about to step out of the house to the driver's car waiting out front, I got a phone call. I pulled my cellphone out of my dress pants and the name flashing across the phone just so happened to be my father. I took a deep breath, readying myself to face my parents. I had assumed that the court that I got had been sent to their offices. After a breath or two, I pressed the green button and answered the phone.

"Hello- "

"WES. DO YOU MIND EXPLAINING TO US THE MEANING OF THIS COURT ORDER THAT I HAVE BEEN SENT?" he asked in his stern, 'don't test me' voice. I shook my head knowingly and rolled my eyes.

"Good morning to you too, father."

"DON'T you get smart with me, BOY. WHAT IS THIS?! YOU OPENED SOUL'S CASE BACK UP FOR AN APPEAL TRIAL?!"

"As a matter of fact, I did," I said nonchalantly, leaning on the countertop. He was fuming at this point so I knew that he meant business, but that didn't scare me. I had solid proof and I'm making sure that this trial is fair and square so there's no way they're getting out of this one.

"Why, Wes? After what Soul did to your fiancé? It is unthinkable!" my mother said after replacing my father.

"No. What JULIA did to SOUL is unthinkable, mother. My brother has proved himself innocent and I believe him. It turned out that we have turned a blind eye to how Julia is tied into all this and because of it, my brother is suffering, serving jail time! I won't have that!" I said firmly.

"No, Wes. Soul has been thrown in jail because he has committed crimes against our family, Julia's family and the entire city! I can't believe you would even defend him like this! I will not allow you to let that vermin crawl out of his cage freely!" he spat. I was disgusted with the way he spoke about my brother. Our own flesh and blood! How could he betray Soul this way? Did he even care that Soul was his son or was that just a title he blessed my brother with? I was completely sickened and couldn't even bring myself to speak anymore.

"You wanna betray your own son? Fine then, I guess I'm out too then. Regardless of your beliefs, this case is still taking place whether you approve or not. If you decide to fight against us, then you can go down like the blind idiots you are right along with Julia. See if I care!" I warned and ended the call. They didn't dare call back.

Without a second thought, I exited the house and locked the door behind me and jogged over to the driver's car. The driver came around to open the back door for me and I hopped in. After the given directions, we took off on our way to the county jail.

A bunch of things flew into my mind as I watched the blurred scenery rush past the car window. Julia was gone. How were we gonna manage without her? We couldn't even find out where she had gone through witnesses because everyone that would've known where she went disappeared along with her. A few days after meeting Justin in the café, the police opened up an investigation and wet straight into tracking Julia down, but apparently that girl does not wanna be found. No one has gotten anything. They believe she fled the country, but nothing supporting that notion has turned up.

With the way things were going with trying to track Julia down, the judge insisted that we resume the trial without her and in her place, mine and her parents would team together to support their side of the case. If things go our way, Julia's family will be facing time in jail for assisting Julia in covering up her tracks and Julia will immediately be hunted for as a wanted criminal and will face jail time as well. If things don't go our way… well… let's just not think about that.

When we arrived to the jail, the driver opened my door and let me out of the car. I stepped out and nodded my head once in thanks. He tipped his hat and returned to the driver's seat, driving off in his little black car. I stood outside the building for a minute or two, staring at the large doors with eagle insignias on them. _Here goes nothing…_ I walked up the steps and entered through the glass doors.

Inside, I spotted Justin near the front desk, speaking with a police officer. He immediately recognized me as soon as I stepped foot inside the building and he smirked. To calm my brain and clean up the scattered mess, I began counting back from 100 and took a deep breath. Justin and his police companion walked over to me.

"You ready?" Justin asked. _No._

"Yes." Justin nodded and looked to the cop who beckoned us to follow behind him.

"Just follow me." The police began the trail to Soul and led us through a pair of metal sliding doors. They slowly creaked open, revealing a small blocked off hall with an elevator at the way back of the room. When we walked in, one of the cops behind the glass closed the sliding doors behind us and to clanked shut.

"Just take off your shoes and any kind of metal or jewelry you may have on you and step through the metal detector," the policeman instructed. We did just that, taking off our shoes and putting them in a little box to go through a machine. We took off any kind of accessories and continued through the metal detector. As to be expected, both of us were clean. We got our stuff back from out the other side of the machine and grabbed our belongings. They patted us both down one more time before they let us put back on our shoes and again, both of us were clean. After each check, they allowed us to retrieve our belongings and tuck them away and then they stamped our right hands with some kind of disappearing ink to allow us access into the compound.

The previous policeman led us through the now opened elevator door at the end of the room and the sliding doors closed shut behind us after we all safely got inside. One large jolt shook us and the elevator started the lower down below the ground.

"I'll lead you to the interrogation room. You guys can talk with Soul there. The other policemen are going to get him right now."

"How's he been lately? He's been good in here?" Justin asked, smirking a knowing smirk. The policemen shrugged his shoulders a bit and turned away from the two of us.

"He doesn't cause much trouble. From what I heard, he hasn't spoken in a month and a half. He doesn't take any visitors; he doesn't stay around the other prisoners for very long… It's very odd." _It was pretty odd. Who could go that long without human contact? Maybe his time in here is starting to get at him._ I looked over at Justin and he was smiling at his feet. He must've known something.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors were opened once again. The doors opened to a dark, dimly lit hallway with multiple metal doors on either side of the narrow hallway. The policemen led us out of the elevator and down at the very end of the hallway to a door on the left. He fetched a ring of a dozen keys out of his pocket and used some kind of silver key to unlock the door. The door swung open and he held it open for the both of us to walk through.

"Wait here. He should be turning up in just a few minutes," the cop informed. We both nodded once as he exited the room, leaving us alone with our thoughts. Justin took a seat in one of the chairs behind the table, facing the door.

"Here, take a seat. Relax. Everything's gonna go great," he comforted, patting the chair next to him. He seemed to recognize that I was a little on edge. I complied and sat down in the chair next to him in silence.

In just a few moments, a muffled screaming and banging was heard from outside the door in the hallway. Someone had been banging about, getting yelled at by what seemed to be a couple of guards. As the sound got closer to us, we recognized the voice and listened in as the prisoner fought the police.

"You can't make me go! Let me go, you bastards!" the sound of Soul's voice screamed in a raspy, pained voice that almost sounded forced. A few more bangs and kicks came from the other side of the walls.

"Shut your trap, Eater. GET MOVING!"

"Fuck you. I said I don't want any visitors you bone-headed pricks! Let me go, now!" he hollered, coming into view through the tiny window on the door. The police bashed the door open as they struggled to restrain Soul and get him into the room. Eventually, they were able to shove him into a chair and as soon as he saw us sitting across the table, he grew tame. I'll never forget the look on his face when he saw me. That look of confusion, hurt and frustration. His face was almost contorted from rough beatings he received from the guards. Both of his eyes were blackened and his nose had bled. I assumed the nosebleed was from the struggle on the way to the interrogation room we were in now. _Damnit… do these cops really know no mercy?_

When the cops left and locked the door behind them, we were left together in a silent room. Soul slowly moved his eyes back and forth between me and Justin. His movements were stiff and looked painful just as he tried to shift himself in his chair. He looked a lot more toned and built than he did when I last saw him in courtroom; he could easily take any of these guys if he wanted to. I couldn't imagine why he'd let these guards treat him this way, prisoner or not.

"Hello again, Soul," Justin spoke, crossing his legs and leaning back in his seat. Soul only glanced at him with furrowed brows and a blank, unreadable expression. He said nothing back to him. The policeman _did_ say that he didn't speak and that he didn't take visitors. Maybe he's just not used to being around people again. He seemed pretty uncomfortable, though, I wouldn't doubt that it's probably partly from the beating he got from those guards.

Justin, taking note of Soul muteness, continued on speaking to get him to say something back.

"From what I heard, you've been pretty mute around here lately. It's surprising to see you kicking and screaming over a visitor out of all things." That was very true. He's in a prison; there must be other things here that could upset him way more than getting a visitor or two would. Why was he trying to cut himself off from everyone?

Soul tilted back in his chair and sighed, clearing his throat before answering. He looked quite nonchalant and uninterested with a hint of something else… Resentment?

"Yeah, well… I'm not a fan of pity and that's all I've been getting from the outside world," Soul answered in a raspy, unused voice.

"You haven't heard from anyone lately… not even Maka?" Justin asked. At this question, Soul's eyes widened a bit and he grew a lot more serious, sitting back up in his chair and tilting forward over his knees. He concentrated on his linked fingers and spared a moment before saying anything else.

"She, uh… Last time she came, we had a bit of a disagreement. I told her to get lost and she's stayed away ever since then…" he spoke in a sobered tone. He looked up from his fingers, his eyes boring sharply into ours; specifically mine.

"So… what brings you two here? Never expected to see _your_ face again," he said, looking straight at me. That was my cue to speak up for the first time. I had just hoped that I didn't totally screw it up.

"Heh… that makes two of us… Look… I want to help you. I made a mistake and I don't know if you can ever forgive me for it. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, but I'm gonna make it up to you. You see, I'm here, because-."

"No." _Huh...?_

"No?"

"No," he repeated, looking dead serious. Could he not forgive me? Did he not want to be set free? I know I've messed up things between us but could he really turn this chance away?

"Listen, Soul. I know what you may think, but you don't need to be here. We've got to clear your name," I tried to rationalize, but he wasn't having any of it. His face scrunched up in anger and he tilted himself forward even more.

"No! There's no place for me out there!" he hollered, lifting himself up from the chair and turning his back to us. "Yeah, sure, you're gonna clear my name, then what?" He turned back around and glared at the two of us, sitting silently and dumbstruck. "I dropped out of high school, my parents don't want me around and forget about getting a job! Did you even think this through? I don't belong anywhere anymore! So screw your apology and screw, 'correcting your mistakes' because none of it matters anymore, Wes!"

I stood from my chair and squared up with him, both of my hands on his shoulders.

"Everything'll be taken care of, Soul. I'll make sure you can live as comfortably as you need to." He brushed both of my hands away and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his torso.

"You don't need to do that." I stood frozen as my heart shattered. Could I have really fucked things up this bad? If I had just listened to reason all those years ago, he could've made something of himself. A person like Soul doesn't belong in here. I should've believed that.

A moment of silence filled the space. Soul glared at the ground and didn't let up on his decision. Justin was silently staring hard at my stubborn younger brother. Suddenly he stood over him and looked down on him with no remorse.

"So you'll just give up? You're gonna throw in the towel before you even get in the game?" Justin asked. Souls head snapped up and he glared at the lawyer.

"I'm not leaving. It doesn't matter what we do. I can't run from this-."

"You don't even care? What about Maka? You know she's missing you. How could you just act like she never even mattered to you? You know damn well that you and Maka alike could never simply move past this situation you dug her into." Soul stood up immediately and squared up to Justin whose expression still has not changed. I tried to move in between the two to keep Soul from doing something he'd regret, but Justin flew a hand up at me in a halt. I did so and glanced back and forth at the two praying that Justin knew what he was doing to persuade Soul to comply.

"I did what I had to do in that court to keep Maka out of it. If serving more jail time for her safety is what I have to do, then I'll serve a whole lifetime!" he yelled in Justin's face. Justin still looked completely unaffected. We both knew his situation. We knew why he pled guilty. Unfortunately, I knew all too well which made me feel even worse. I separated him from the only girl that he has ever cared for. I really was way too selfish.

"You think she wants to live with the guilt of you serving 36 years in jail just to keep her out?"

"She doesn't know about that!"

"But she does, Soul." He grew silent at this. Both of them did. I pushed Justin out of the way and replaced him in front of Soul.

"Soul… Maka came to me herself begging for me to get you out of her. She's heartbroken without you… You know it's not fair to her to make her wait for you and it's not fair to yourself to give away your life for nothing. You can be selfish and take this opportunity or you can walk away and ignore her wishes to stay with you," I softly spoke to my younger brother. For once, I felt like a true older sibling to him, giving him advice and protecting him. It was the least I could do after ignoring him for 23 years.

Soul stared out into space with an expression that gradually faded back into that sober expression he had on before when he had mentioned Maka. He sat back in his chair with his hands clenching the end of arms of the chair. _He knows that pushing away Maka is only gonna break him. Why does he insist on fighting us on this? C'mon Soul…_

Justin crouched down in front of Soul and looked up at him to make eye contact.

"Hear us out. We can help you get Maka and your freedom back. No innocent man belongs in a jail cell, especially when he's got people waiting for him to come back home," he convinced. I furrowed my brows and drooped my shoulders. _Please let me do this for you…_

"…What's your plan?"

* * *

 _MEANWHILE…_

 _MAKA'S P.O.V_

 _She should be here soon. She said 12 right? She didn't mean the other 12, right? Oh gosh… calm down, Maka… calm down, calm down._

I shook my leg in waiting as I awaited my mama's departure at the airport. Oh! Hi, there! Uhh, how's it goin'? What? You wanna know why I'm so jumpy? I'm not jumpy! Who's jumpy? Are you feeling a little on the jumpy side?! Haha! Is it hot in here…?

Okay, maybe I am a little jittery today, but that's only because I was expected my mother for a visit after I haven't seen her in _years._ Remember last month, the last time I saw you guys? I got a phone call after coming home from work? You remember, right? Well, that call had been my mama calling me for that check-in call she makes every now and then. When we were on the phone, I told her how I had been going through some pretty rough times. Which, of course I have been! C'mon, the love of my life got locked up for 36 years, his family hated him too much to get him out, I slept with my ex by accident and I've been working a pile full of hours to make up for lost time! I'm freakin' stressed out!

Anyway, after I told her about my situation, she said she was worried and a visit was overdue anyway, so she'd come down to visit for a while. At the time, I was crazy excited, but as I sit here on the bench waiting for her arrival, I can't help but feel just a tad bit nervous. She was to arrive any moment and telling from all the planes that had just landed, I can tell that she'll be coming very soon.

 _I wonder what she looks like in person now. I haven't seen her since my college graduation so… probably 2 or 3 years? She never says anything about her travels or where she goes. I wonder where she's coming from this time. She was always the adventurous type so I don't know… maybe somewhere in the mountains? I bet you she probably went somewhere across the states. She could never stay too far away from home. She said so herself!_

"Maka, dear," a familiar woman's voice said as she gently eased a hand on my shoulder in comfort. Immediately, my head shot up and before I knew it, my mother's beautiful, smiling face was right in front of mine! She softly kissed my forehead and smiled back at me again. Involuntarily, my eyes watered as my mind processed my mama's face. _She's!_

I wrapped my arms around Mama and hugged her so tightly that I was afraid that I might break her. My tears poured, dampening her dressy, purple shirt and her hand rested atop my head.

"What's the matter, dear?" she cooed in a calm, motherly voice that I've only dreamed of hearing in person once again. I held her even tighter and sniffled loudly in response, causing her to continue stroking my hair.

"I missed you, Mama…" I managed to spew out. She rested her chin on top of my head.

"I missed you too, Maka-bear. C'mon, let's go home." I nodded and released her. She tried to hold it back, but I could hear the little sigh she let out after we parted. I giggled and wiped my eyes before taking her suitcases in either hand and leading her to the cab waiting out front.

The cab driver helpfully loaded my mother's bags into the trunk and my mother and I took our seats in the back. This was my chance to finally ask her all the questions I've been wanting to ask her. There was so much to do, so much to see. Where could I even begin? I figured I had to think quickly since her time here would be short.

"Your hair got so long!" she pointed out, grabbing a lock of ash blonde hair and admiring it. The last time she's seen me, I was just starting my senior year of college. Naturally my appearance changed quite a bit. I traded in my short pigtails for waaaay too long, let-down waves, I… ahem… racked up… and I started wearing a lot more makeup and paying attention to my wardrobe. The only thing that surprised me was that was the only thing she recognized despite all of that!

"Hey! What about your hair? You cut it pretty short this time! I didn't think you liked the short look," I said, touching the bottom of her shortened, matching blonde bundle of hair. My mama always had long hair, but looking at her, the haircut she chose was even shorter than my pigtails! In fact, she bobbed it. She looked fantastic, nonetheless. _Still, what a shame. I always loved Mama's hair._

The cab driver hopped into his seat after tightly packing all my mama's bags in the trunk and he asked for the address to which we were staying. With the directions placed in his GPS, we rode our comfortably silent taxi ride to my apartment.

* * *

"Well, that's all of 'em. We can share a bed if you want, Mama, I won't let my mother sleep on the couch," I said, setting down her last suitcase in the middle of the living room as she closed and locked the apartment door.

"Thank you, dear. Don't put yourself through so much unnecessary trouble, though. I'd be fine on the couch."

"Uh-uh, not happening." Mama laughed. She helped herself to a seat on the couch.

"Want me to make you a cup of tea, Mama?"

"That'd be great, Maka-bear." _Heh, told you guys she likes to call me Maka-bear!_ I chuckled in secret and began heating up the kettle on the stove.

I had wondered where Mama came from. Where was it this time? Last time, she sent me a postcard from Niagara Falls and the time before that, she sent me a postcard from Maine. I always believed she liked to stay on the same side of the world as her home place, but I could be wrong. Maybe she plans on going to Germany or South Korea! The whole idea of traveling the world amazes me, but… I'd never do it. I could never just walk away from home and leave, indefinitely.

The kettle began to whistle a high-pitched screech. I removed it from the heat and poured the water in with the tea bags in two cups for the both of us to enjoy. Mama always liked her tea straight, so I handed her a cup and splashed a few sugars in my own.

"Here you are, Mama." She accepted the cup and blew away the steaming smoke.

"Thank you, dear." This was nice. I sat next to my mother and sipped tea with her like the old days. It felt like everything was going to smoothly, but a part of me couldn't believe that. There was a reason why she was here. She wasn't here just because she wanted to drop by. Mama was worried about me. Knowing that, I can't help but worry a little myself.

I sipped a bit more of my tea and set it down on the table in front of us. _Maybe music will ease my worries a bit._

"How about some music?" I asked, already getting up and rushing for the stereo before she could get a word in. One flip of a switch and the stereo blared the last song I had played on my track. This one was a hard rock song that soothed my ears, but I could sense that my mama didn't feel the same. I sat next to Mama and closed my eyes, tilting my head back to focus on the lyrics, but she wouldn't have it. I had hoped that she'd let me have my way, but she could never tolerate my kind of music. She tsked at me.

"Maka, Maka, Maka, I really don't know how you could listen to something so noisy. Here, let's play something a little softer." Next thing I know, my track changed to a song I knew quite well. A soft rock song… maybe even a little country. It wasn't my personal preference, but I used to listen to Mama's soft rock a lot as a child. This tune felt a little at home at first… but then… the woman began to sing.

 _LADY ANTEBELLUM – NEED YOU NOW_

 _Picture perfect memories_

 _Scattered all around the floor._

 _Reaching for the phone cause,_

 _I can't fight it anymore._

 _And I wonder if I ever cross your mind._

 _For me it happens all the time._

 _It's a quarter after one._

 _I'm all alone and I need you now._

 _Said I wouldn't call, but I lost all control_

 _And I need you now._

 _And I don't know how I can do without,_

 _I just need you now._

My eyebrows must've unconsciously furrowed when I finally let my eyes open once more. I sat up on the couch and avoided eye contact with my mom. Instead, I paid very little attention to anything. I stared off into space and leaned on my palms, propped up on my knees in deep thought.

 _Why did it have to be this song? Why did it have to… why did he have to… Oh, God, I'm thinking about him again, aren't I? God… Oh, why?_ Tears dropped in slow motion down my cheeks in desperation. I wanted to stop this! Just stop having him pop back up in my head at times like this! But… But I-.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" my mother's voice asked, patting my back softly. I felt a gaze on my back that felt empathetic and when I looked up from my watery eyes, that's exactly what I saw. Empathy. My mother's eyes were clouded with them. She awaited an answer and hesitantly, I nodded. I didn't want to make her feel as bad as I do, but I also didn't want to lie to her.

 _Another shot of whiskey,_

 _Can't stop looking at the door._

"Tell me about it," she urges, pulling me close into her arm. A few teardrops escaped and I laughed… just laughed a bit. I shook my head at myself, trying to gather together the mess inside my brain, but before I could think straightly, my heart spoke for me.

 _Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before._

"He told me never to see him again… He wants me to move on and I just… I just can't let him go." I sniffled and tried to fight the tears to stay away, but it probably hurt more to hold them in than to let them out and be done with it. Still… I was stubborn.

"Y'know sometimes… sometimes I'm sitting home alone, thinking about what would have happened if he crawled through that window once again. If all of this was just a sick, twisted joke…" _Yes… If one night, he'd just come crashing in here like he always does and he'd ask to spend the night to lay low for a few hours. If we were to just pretend like none of this had ever happened… If we could just go back to normal. Oh, why? Why can't things ever be the way they were? Why couldn't things just work out in my favor for once? First, I lose my mama, then I lose my papa to work, then I lose Chris and now I have to lose Soul? Why do I always have to be the one that hurts?!_

My tears were freefalling, but who gave a damn? I choked up and sobbed into my hands for the first real time in weeks. I've been trying to keep my composure since there's no real need for me to be all depressed over this for too long, but there's just no use. I have to get it out. Out of my system. For good.

 _And I wonder if I ever cross your mind_

 _For me it happens all the time_

 _It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk, and I need you now_

 _Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now_

 _And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now_

The hand my mother placed on my shoulder tightened and she wrapped her other arm around me, hugging me close. With this, I broke free of restraint and let my emotions take over for once.

"Oh, but honey… It's not. I'm sorry, honey, but he's not crawling through that window anytime soon. You have to accept that." _Gee, thanks Mama. That was definitely what I needed to hear!_ "Now, telling you not to ever see him again… he has to have been lying. I'm sure he doesn't want you gone. He just wants what's best for you. Seeing him is only gonna make you want to stay. You have to move on, live life, fall in love… and you can't do that while you're tied to him."

 _Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all_

I thought deeply about what she said and of course I understood, but I didn't want to accept that. I didn't want to be happy. Not like this at least. I mean…

"But I love him, Mama," I croaked, choking up and tearing up again. I wrapped my arms around her as well and clung to her like a lifeline.

 _It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now_

 _And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now_

 _And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now_

"I know you do, honey… I love your father as well…" When Mama said this, I felt her grow tense as well. She sounded like she was trying to be strong, but her resolve weakened. "…but some people are better off apart than together. Just because you love someone, that doesn't mean you have to be with them. If the situation says it's best to stay apart, then it's better to leave it at that… save yourselves the heartache." _Mama always loved Papa. She always told me that leaving Papa had to be the hardest thing she has ever done in her whole life. Maybe I take after her in that sense… She's right._

"It's hard," I squeaked from behind my hands as I sobbed. Mama rubbed my back and rested her head atop mine.

"It will… but I'm here. You have people to support you. You won't be alone on this one, I promise." I wrapped my arms around Mama once again and wept into her shoulder. We stayed like that, tearing up in each other's arms. We both needed it. Badly. It's been rough for the both of us, but we can get past it. So long as I have Mama, I can make it. Both of us can.

 _I just need you now_

 _Oh baby I need you now_

* * *

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

Justin packed up all the folders and papers he laid out on the table and tucked them away in his little briefcase thing. Wes sat up in his seat, following Justin's lead.

"Alright. The trial will be held in about a month and a half. We'll see you then, alright?" Justin finished. He stood up from his chair and prepared himself to leave. Wes, however, did not. He stayed seated and stared right at me as if he had something to say. I'm sure he had plenty to say, but he was never really good at brotherly things, so what was there to expect?

"…yeah," I answered in my raspy, unused voice. Talking was still something I had to get used to. I never spoke in here. Found it pointless to ever try to defend or justify myself, so why bother? They won't listen to a prisoner like me anyway. Oh hey, look at me getting off topic again! Great, Soul… Great.

Justin looked between Wes and I and I guess he must've took note of Wes' gaze because he said that he would give us a minute to talk in private before they left. The lawyer left the room and stood outside the door while my older brother and I sat in opposite chairs in complete silence for a good few moments. Wes' facial expressions changed from hopeful to depressed like five times before I realized he didn't know what to talk about, so I helped him out.

"What made you change your mind?" I asked. Hey, someone had to start a conversation! Besides, you guys were totally wondering the same thing, weren't you? Wes sat up in his chair and gripped the arms.

"Well, honestly, I can't take credit or it. It was your girlfriend-."

"She's not my girlfriend," I whispered, cutting him off. At this point, I was looking at my lap, not at Wes. _I knew she'd pop up one more time before she was gone for good. She's such a stubborn woman._ It was hard to cope with the idea that I had to leave everything that I held dear behind, despite it being a select few. More specifically, Maka. The first few nights, it was hard for me to sleep after leaving her off with such terrible things. I've never felt so bad about saying anything so horrible to anyone, I mean, c'mon! I told the girl I love to get lost! How devastating can that be? I don't mean to be such a sissy about it, so to keep from that, I just don't try to think or ever talk about her. But LATELY, that doesn't seem too EASY since SOMEONE wanted to poke her nose where it DIDN'T BELONG. _This isn't the first time she's went against my word and intervened though. She never took me seriously when I told her to leave me be._

"Maybe not, but she sure as hell acted like it. Actually… she acted a lot like you're acting right now, thinking about her," he snidely remarked. I glared up at him and of course, he was wearing a smug, little, knowing, shit-eating grin on his face. I snorted at him and broke eye contact once again. _Screw you sometimes, Wes. Seriously…_

"Hey, she's the reason we were able to open up this appeal case. If it weren't for all the information she had given me, I would've never found out the truth." That peaked my interest. Justin had shown all the evidence he had against Julia, but the details of the investigation all seemed pretty detailed and worked through. There was no way he was able to conjure up all this evidence in just a short amount of time, so…

"Information?" I asked. Wes nodded.

"Yeah. All the evidence was all from her. We just did a second investigation to make sure her information was accurate and sure enough, she was right about everything. All those documents we showed you earlier were from her. She brought the folder to me and begged me to bail you out somehow. This is all thanks to her, so after we win, you have to be sure to thank her especially."

I sat back in my chair in realization and sighed, my hand rubbing over my eyes. _Akane… Of course Maka wouldn't have been able to come up with this on her own. Why would she even consider doing something so crazy? Could she really be this stupid? Haaaa… What am I gonna do with you, Albarn?_

"This girl…" Wes started. I returned my focus back to him. His expression was full of wonder. Never seen that before considering he never EVER took an interest in me. "How do you know a girl like that?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders and stared off into the distance in remembrance.

"She… well… Remember when I first enrolled in a public school?" He nodded. "She was a classmate from back then."

"Why would a girl like Maka wanna help a dirtbag like you? You were such a jerk as a kid if I remember correctly," he joked, chuckling through his words. I laughed as well. It was definitely true, I'll give him that. I shook my head and both of our laughing was halted.

"She was always persistent. Always meddling… always watching out for me. Maka was the only one who genuinely cared about my well-being at the time." I inhaled and sighed. "Still is." It probably seems like I'm being an asshole, right? Here my brother is right in front of me, going against our parents' words for the first time in his life just to save my ungrateful ass. Well… maybe I am. My opinion still stands. As much as I hate it, Maka has never left me alone. And look where it's gotten her. _Damn, if that girl hadn't butted in where she shouldn't belong so many times..!_

Wes walked around the table and sat on the edge of it right in front of me. He hesitated for a minute, but then he finally built the courage to place his large hand on my shoulder.

"Soul… It's not a bad thing that someone cares for you." I rolled my eyes and plainly looked back at him with his guilt-filled eyes staring right back into mine.

"Look at where I am, Wes. Do you honestly think that I could accept dragging her along while I'm locked away in here? That's too much of a burden to carry."

"That's why I'm getting you out of here. You shouldn't have to carry any kind of burden at all; you have done nothing wrong. Don't pretend like you have to atone for anything because you don't owe anything to anyone. Don't just let go of her as a punishment to yourself. If you love her, it wouldn't matter to you what you have done in the past. Fight for her like you would fight for your own life for as long as it takes. Think you're not the man she deserves? Then be the man that she needs, because you may not see it as well as I do, but anyone with eyes could see that she definitely needs you right now, Soul. So leave this place and when you do, go straight to her. You owe it to her and you owe it to yourself that much."

 _He's been watching waaaay too much Dark Knight. He is right though…_ As much as I hated to admit it, he was actually COMPLETELY right. Why should I have to keep myself locked away and give up so easily? I've fought for my freedom for this long and gained so much in these past few months that could've been taken away from me. So why did I give it up? I had so much to lose and before I could risk losing it, I just gave it away and traded myself in. Of course she didn't want that. I didn't want that. But what was I going to do? Well… I guess that doesn't matter anymore. I'm in here. Now, all I have to do is fight my way out. It's worth a try, right? I mean, for crying out loud, I've finally found something worth living for…

"I do love her…"

"Then fight. Because she loves you too, Soul. Damn, are you blind or something?" he joked. I punched my older brother in the shoulder and chuckled a bit. _I really hope you know what you're doing, Wes._

"Thanks, bro," I whispered. I never thought I would ever hear myself say anything remotely close to a 'thank you' to Wes of all people, but today wasn't really a typical, normal day for me.

"Anytime. I'm here. Don't worry about our parents. I won't let them stand in our way and I most definitely won't let them keep you locked away in here for no damn reason," he declared, grabbing his belongings and leaving the interrogation room. The door slammed shut behind him and I was left in the cold, silence. But… for the first time in a while… I thought for a moment… and actually, genuinely smiled, ready for battle.

 _ **A/N:**_ **So how does that make you feel?! Do you love the idea of Soul fighting for his freedom to be reunited with his woman?! How will Maka react?! What's gonna happen?! What do you THINK will happen?! Leave a review and let me know what you think! Chapter 16 is just around the corner, ladies and gents, so hang onto your seats! Love you all, mwah! I'll see you all soon so happy reading, stay beautiful and live life happily! (: STAY OUT OF TROUBLE YOU CRAZY KIDS (; ;***


	16. Chapter 155

**A/N:** ** __** **HELLOOOOOOOOO THEREEEEE! Oh my, oh my, I have a lotta SPLAININ TO DOOOOO! If you follow the fanfiction snapchat I set up, you can skip this intro, but for those who don't then you're probably wondering why on earth I'm posting a .5 chapter as opposed to posting the trial chapter, Chapter 16. Well, my reasoning for that is simply because the next chapter is going to take place after a pretty big time skip (you'll see what I mean) since trials don't just HAPPEN when we want them to. Trials can take place a few months after being detained, or a few YEARS of being detained, depending on the severity of the crime or the timing, etc. Another reason is because I feel like I've only been focusing on a few of the characters for the past few chapters and I haven't shed a lot of light on what's going on with everyone else and they will be doing during the time skip, so I want everyone to be on the same page. So this .5 chapter is simply for those who want to know what everyone else is doing before the next chapter's time skip. You'll see what I mean once we get into it.**

 **I also should explain why a .5 chapter like this took so long to make. Again, if you follow laurneathefirst on snapchat, then you'll probably know that my first problem was that for about a week, I was left without wifi and my computer was constantly shutting down for whatever reason ); My computer is a hunk of junk, guys so I'm really sorry about that. My next reason for delay was my enrollment in the hairdressing academy I'm now studying at. My hours usually run for about 9am to 5pm and then right after, I go to work from about 6 to 9 every night and come home exhausted, so I've had a lot of trouble trying to find myself in a good enough mood to write with all the school, work, bills, homework, projects, job promotions... ARGGGHH!**

 **My third and last reasoning for the delay is; (and I had just posted this yesterday on snapchat) I recently got into a car accident on my way to school ); Thank the lord that it was only me and one other person involved in the crash, but I hit somebody right in the side of their trunk area and went crashing into a pole on the sidewalk. Thankfully I'm okay now, but for a while, I couldn't move my arm because my arm hit the steering wheel pretty hard and then it got hit directly by the airbag and I tried to push it back in at the same time. Doctor had to put a splint on my arm and I couldn't really move my fingers for a while, so I couldn't continue the chapter. No fear though! I got the splint taken off and got away with some pretty ugly bruises and burns from the airbag, but other than that, I'm A-OKAY! :D Nothing can tear little ol' me down!**

 **If you want to know about any updates on the makings of these chapters or anything that may delay my work or even updates on new series I'm composing, please follow** **laurneathefirst** **on snapchat! I only update things that I feel are necessary for you to know as my readers (: So don't worry, I don't post anything too personal unless it is crucial to know. PLEASE LEAVE ME QUESTIONS, COMMENTS AND CONCERNS ANY WAY YOU CAN REACH ME IF NEED BE! LET'S GET ON WITH THE CHAPTER! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER OR ANY SONGS THAT MAY BE PRESENT IN THIS CHAPTER! (Oh, and I also don't own the cover photo presented for this story either. Complete credit to the artist!) Happy reading, my little cherubs! (;**

 _CHAPTER 15.5:_

 _NORMAL P.O.V_

A little over half a month had passed by since you last visited us. So far for our characters, things have been very quiet and calm, but we all know things can't always stay this way.

Back at Maka's house, the sun began to shine brightly through her sheer, cream-colored curtains. She never needed an alarm clock, for she instinctively awoke with the sun. Today was no different. She rubbed her sleep-covered eyes and slowly sat up from under her covers. The sound of footsteps in the other room was heard once again and Maka smiled. She knew that her Mama was still here, taking care of her. Excited, the daughter stepped right down from her bed and made a bee line straight for the door.

She poked her head out of her bedroom, her green eyes lurking around as she watched her mother head straight for the kitchen. _'This would be the third day in a row that she's cooked for me!'_ Maka exclaimed in her thoughts. Kami is a guest in Maka's home and it would be unthinkable for Maka to let her mother take care of her in her own home! With this thought lingering, Maka stomped into the kitchen after Kami.

"Mama, you get back on that couch this instant!" she demanded. Kami returned her attention to her daughter, clearly appalled and confused. Maka glared at her mother with her hands on either side of her hips. If you would've seen it, you would've laughed at the way Maka took the parental place of her mother, ordering her around. Even Kami herself giggled as she stood upright from looking in the bottom cabinets for a proper pan.

"Oh, Maka, it's really no big deal!"

"No, you've come all this way so at least let me take care of you a little. I've lived on my own for this long; I know what I'm doing. Now, go sit!" Maka commanded once more. Kami shrugged her shoulders and let her 23-year old daughter take her place in the kitchen.

Maka fetched a pan right away and positioned it over the stove, lighting the burner. In the cabinet above, she grabbed some seasoning and on the counter, she grabbed the dish of butter. A cut of that went into the pan and she smeared it all over, coating the bottom of the pan. Quickly, she grabbed a carton of eggs from the fridge and she cracked one, plopping it into the pan. A second one for her went the same way.

Maka looked over to her mother who sat comfortably, watching Maka do her thing. They both grinned at each other with matching smiles. It was nice. Having Kami over again and enjoying her company was a soothing feeling for Maka that she hadn't felt in a while. Kami had left just as soon as Maka could live on her own. She owed herself that much, though. Spirit, Maka's father, wasn't a very good husband. He cheated, he lied, he made things hard to bear, living in that house. Maka was glad her mother left. She deserved that much.

"So, Mama, what did you wanna do today? I have to work for a little bit, but-."

"Don't worry about me, Maka! Work is more important than little, old me. If you have to work today, then I'll probably just take my time in the city for a while. See how much has changed, you know?" Kami offered. Maka didn't like the idea of leaving her mother alone for a day, though, she knew Kami was right. Work is important. She couldn't just _not_ go just because her mama was in town. _Mama came all this way too…_ Maka thought, guiltily.

"Well, as soon as I get out, we're gonna have a girls' day! You came all this way and I want to savor these few weeks I have with you!" Maka spoke determinedly. Kami chuckled, her dainty hand covering her mouth slightly.

"As you wish, Maka-bear." Kami thought to herself, watching her now all grown up daughter and wished that the years hadn't passed by so soon. It felt like just yesterday, Kami and Spirit would be awakened by their spunky, young daughter jumping up and down on their bed, demanding breakfast and a good morning kiss. Things were much simpler then… Spirit didn't have to work as much, Kami always woke up with a smile on her face and Maka still had the love of both of her parents as a whole family. Now, everything seemed so broken. Though Maka didn't acknowledge it, Kami was fully aware of her and her daughter's situation. All she could do was apologize and be there in turn for her 'blessed gift'. Maka was her world. Despite her leaving after Spirit was finally found out, her heart was still in the same place. That love that she provided had never left. Even now as she watched her 'blessed gift' grow up on her own account, able to stand on her own two feet without the support from either of her parents; Kami's love still flowed right into her daughter just the same as it did when Maka was still just a little bundle of joy. That's always what Kami would see her as. And of course, Kami would be damned if she ever let anyone or anything interfere with her bundle of joy's happiness or well-being.

* * *

 _MEANWHILE_

"Wake up, you lazy bastard! GET THE HELL UP, I SAID!" a guard shouted from the other side of the cold, restraining metal bars of the harsh prison cell. The 'lazy bastard' the man had been referring to slowly took his time opening his red, piercing eyes and shot a very demeaning glare at the guard. The guard, watching this action as a groan left the prisoner's throat gulped and was taken aback. His original tough front was now depleting and the avoid the intimidator's glare, he returned to waking up the other, less frightening prisoners in the hall.

The rudely-awoken prisoner pick himself up off of the sad excuse for a bed that he was gifted with and groaned again from the migraine he still harbored from the first night he was thrown into the slammer. _'I don't know how much of these annoying pricks I can take. Can the appeal trial take any longer? I need to bust myself outta' this place before I start busting heads…'_ the cranky inmate thought silently. He ran a filthy hand through his now shoulder-lengthed straight, white locks while the other hand rubbed the sleep out of his baggy, blackened eyes, burning them from his unhygienic hands. A twist left, a twist right and a couple of satisfying back cracks were heard as he popped his bones into a comfortable place. Next, he cracked each of his knuckles, making sure not to feel the least bit stiff in any area. A few rolls of the neck earned a few cracks and he was ready to go.

 _How long has it been since I've been in here? Days? Weeks? Any day now, these ratty-ass policemen should be callin' me out to move me to another location for the appeal case. All I can do is wait on that day._

Each day that passed, Soul grew more excited. He got more amped up just thinking of the look on everyone's face when he undoubtedly walks away freely and returns home. Of course, his home won't accept him… but he'll just have to make a new home. A home that he hoped Maka would be included in. No, of course, with all the drama taking place, he hasn't given up on his love for Maka. If anything, he was looking forward to the shocked expression on her face when she heard the verdict for the case. Hopefully, she could forgive him for the hurtful things he had said to her last time they spoke. He'd have to be sure to make up for that somehow later on.

 _Now, it's time to build some strength. This place isn't for weaklings anyway._ Soul stood straight up from his bed and he did a few more twists of the torso to prepare himself for the extreme workout he was about to push himself to do for the next few hours. It had become part of his daily routine to work out and push himself every day to get stronger every day since he's been locked up. At first, it was just because it gave him something to do and he didn't want to lose his stamina and agility being locked up in a hellhole like this. A couple days after doing it, working out became some type of addiction for him. The blood pumping, the sweat dropping, the tears surfacing… all of it just made him let out all this anger and frustration he's been building up. A couple of times, he almost hurt himself pretty bad by pushing his limits too far. Nearly four times already, he almost pulled his hamstring and busted his knee, but what did he care? Like they always say; no pain, no gain.

Soul dropped to the floor and started off with pushups; something easy to start off with. Just recently, he was able to push himself to do almost 250 pushups without stopping, so today, his goal with to hit 350. The day after that; 450. The day after that; 600. Think it's impossible? See if he cared. He sure as hell was still going to try. Breaking a bone or two is nothing a doctor couldn't fix. That was the least of his worries. He was more worried about the trial and what judge Justin had pinned for. The last judge obviously was easily bribed. That judge is key to their success. They needed one that would be fair and open to explanations. After that, Soul had worried about what to expect once the trial ended. What would he do with his life? What if he was wrong and the trial was to somehow still end in him returning to his lonely jail cell? What would he do? What if he's right and he'd be released on the spot right after the trial? Where could he go? What kind of life should he lead? Who could he turn to? …and Maka… what about her? What if she actually ended up going back to her ex that she had slept with the night they had that fight? Did she run into his arms? Did he tell her how much she meant to him? Did she return his feelings? Is she waking up next to him right now?

All these questions boiled Soul's blood further and fueled him up for another rough workout. Each pushup was vigorous and the sweat on his brow that formed in little droplets was proof of that. Soul's tanned, already-toned chest lowered to the floor again and again only to be separated with even more distance as his arms pushed him back away.

Guards had passed his cell, but not a single one dared to disturb him while he was in the zone. The menacing glare in his face never allowed it. Not that the guards were _scared,_ but they were certainly alarmed. Not even the toughest could dare to utter word to our white-haired, red eyed criminal.

Soul's muscles bulged as his pushups grew closer together and more heated. Where he got all this stamina, nobody ever knew. Soul was practically on the verge of being malnourished from not eating anything in that godforsaken prison hole. Was he hungry? Yeah, of course, but he didn't dare put that gunk in his mouth; he had standards! Still, despite not having the physical energy to do so, the young, determined man found it anyway and put it towards these intensified workouts he has now gotten into the habit of doing. The cops all thought he would collapse soon if he kept this up and they really didn't want to have to deal with that, but they wanted even less to deal with an angry Soul Eater. That, they have decided, would probably be an even bigger headache.

 _When… I get out… Maka… I'm… coming for you. You'd better… not have… Chris… hanging around. Don't want… another reason… to get locked up again._ Soul chuckled to himself as he realized how ridiculously out of control his jealousy was. Truth is, that phone call with Akane really screwed him up. He'd be sure to hold it against her. She can make up for that later, though. Right now, he just wanted something as simple as being able to see her smile again. How long had it been? Weeks? Months? He didn't know. All he knew was that ever since he was hauled into that station that one night, he had never seen her smile again. It didn't suit her. A frown. It wasn't meant for her. Her smile was much more becoming. He wanted to tell her that. He wanted to tell her a lot of things.

He wanted to tell her that she had meant more to him than she could ever realize. He wanted to tell her over and over again that he was sorry for listening to his parents all those years ago. He wanted to tell her that no, that music he played in the music room wasn't him… it was the monster that his parents made of him; the same monster that she had all along knew. He wanted to tell her that he was _deeply_ sorry for picking on her as a defense mechanism. He wanted to apologize for ever making her feel like she didn't mean the world, the stars, the moon and the galaxy to him. He wanted to tell her that the night that they spent in that apartment, cuddled up, eating pizza and watching children's movies was the best night of his existence. He wanted to tell her that she's beautiful even when she doesn't notice she is. He wanted to tell her to stop her smoking habit because he wanted her to live the long, happy life she deserves without any regrets. He wanted to tell her that yes, he was very much jealous that night he saw Akane kissing her under the moonlight. That yes, he is ashamed of the things he had done in the past, but he was willing to forgive and forget for her sake. That he was willing to give her anything she desires. That he wanted to give his life to her as a token of his appreciation of all that she has sacrificed for a no-good punk like him. That… that… he was so deeply in love with her that it was driving him nearly insane being apart.

Who was he to jump ahead of himself, though? First order of business: Julia. The woman was still nowhere to be found, but Soul made it his business to find out and put the woman behind bars where she belonged. At the moment, Soul had refused any phone calls that weren't from either Wes or Justin Law and he was far from asking Akane for help at all in trying to track her down. The only thing Soul could rely on at the moment was the information he could gather from his trusty lawyer and brother seeing that he hasn't had any access to any kind of payment for Akane to complete the next task Soul has lined up for him. Once or twice, he had contemplated urging Wes to cover the payment to get Akane started while Soul was in solitary confinement. However, the younger brother was iffy about letting Wes involve himself with such a man. Akane was a close family friend, sure, but nobody knew what happened behind closed doors. Akane has been very kind to Soul in his time of need, but there have been other cases in which Akane was not so generous. Most people who find out about his little business don't usually get the kind of 'special treatment' our white-haired criminal had been given. In fact, most people who discover this truth usually don't turn up the next day. What happens to them, who knows? Soul sure as hell didn't wanna find out. Perhaps if Soul's criminal activity didn't have to do with his teller's sworn enemy, he would've turned up missing as well. The thought of it made him cringe.

Despite the dangers, Soul found it worth it. Maybe he couldn't take the necessary measures at the moment to find the woman, but boy, when he did, she was in a world of trouble. That was his first priority. Get the hell out of that hell hole and search for the bitch. He was certain that the police wouldn't have the authority to just search for her freely, so taking matters into his own hands would be his last act as a criminal. After she was behind bars, he could put this ugly war against the world to rest and leave peacefully. At least, that's what he dreamed for. Nothing would ever be perfect, but so long as he didn't have to fend for himself and struggle to find scraps of food, it'd be perfect enough for him.

Sweat beaded on the man's brow as he began huffing the harder his reps became. He flung his head from side to side, whipping the sweat away from his heated forehead and rolled over on his back to begin his pull ups before giving himself the time to take a breather. Breathers were for losers. He didn't have time to stop and relax. After either weeks or months (he couldn't decide which one) of lazing around in his lonely, old, dingy cell, his stamina went into a sky fall. Something that had never been a problem for him before, considering his life revolved around him running for his life. He couldn't all of a sudden let himself slack off, so here's his punishing medicine.

 _Damnit, can time move a little faster? How much longer until the damn trial? I don't think I can wait it off for much longer. So much to do, too many people to see… too many things to clear up… GOD, WHY DOES MY MIND ALWAYS HAVE TO WANDER OFF TO HER?! Jesus… FOURTY-FIVE, FOURTY-SIX, FOURTY-SEVEN…_

* * *

 _"What do you think, boss?"_ a rough, gruff sounding man asked over the phone. The man in question facepalmed to himself, feeling that this was not a discussion to have over the phone. However, it could not be helped. A small, short sigh calmed his nerves and he whispered under his breath, hoping to God that no one would be lurking around, listening in.

"What do I think? I think you shouldn't be calling me over the phone during the middle of work. How many times do I have to tell you not to contact me during the day?" he scolded in a very business-like voice. Very fitting for the young man's personality, but not so much for his portrayed image. The lackey gulped and noticeably became nervous.

 _"It's just that… Julia, sir…"_ the man mumbled. The 'boss' rubbed his eyes, nearly poking them with his long fingertips.

"You said that you suspect that she may be hiding out in Italy? I want proof on the table tonight at 11. I haven't investigated the possibility of her leaving the country yet, so you'll need to dig up some information before I go sending you off on a wild-goose-chase. You know what to do," the boss instructed once over. Before the lackey had time to ensure that he would do his best on the job, his employer hung up the phone, wanting very badly to end the conversation before they divulged further. His men weren't very bright sometimes. He constantly had to remind them that this business must be completely unknown to the public. They had big mouths and often didn't clean up after themselves, leaving their poor, worn out leader to pick up the pieces behind them, but they were cheap help and they did their jobs exactly as instructed, so he dealt with it, regardless.

When a few footsteps came into earshot, the man quickly tucked his cell phone used especially for his nightly work into his employee locker in the back room and prepared himself to act natural. The clacking of the woman's heels finally halted when a familiar face came into view. A young lady who often works behind the front desk pushed up her glasses and directed her attention to her coworker.

"Daisuke, would you mind covering me for a bit? I haven't had a break all day and I feel like I'm going to pass out if I don't get a bite to eat," she nervously requested. The man chuckled his boyish laugh and smiled with a grin to match.

"Of course. You go on ahead, I'm gonna be staying here for a little while anyway." The woman smiled back a thankful, toothy grin and she bid her farewell, leaving the person _she_ knew as 'Daisuke' alone once again. As she left, a sigh of relief escaped Akane's lips as he plopped back down in a chair. How much of this could he take? Maybe this business wasn't right for him… Meh, who was he kidding? He loved his job.

 _Still… I can't keep sneaking around during my work hours every time those idiots call me… Maybe a right hand guy wouldn't be such a bad investment. Who am I kidding? I can't trust any of those fools. They're too careless! *sigh*…_

Akane facepalmed again and rubbed his face harshly with both hands. Figuring that his break had ended long ago, he returned behind the front desk of his library and took his coworker's place. It was a quiet day. Not many kids were running around the library at this time of day since most of them were in school, so it was usually peaceful. It was only after the teenagers got out of school that thing got a little wild. Good girls coming solely for a learning experience with piglets known as teenage boys chasing after them to hook themselves a hot, smart chick, only to later be shut down. Gossiping girls speaking a little louder than need be behind their textbooks as if people couldn't already hear their obnoxious valley girl giggles and scorching words as they burned their classmates… The whole ordeal was just one big headache to Akane. So much to the point where he contemplated quitting multiple times, but it's not so bad, he would have to admit. This time of day was his favorite. He could read peacefully with hardly anyone bothering him with work that he had overwhelmed himself with every other hour of the day.

Night and day, Akane worked. There was hardly any time for the man to even sleep. There was always something that had to be done. Sure, he would get paid BIG time, but everyone needs their own time for peace and quiet. This time was his-.

"Excuse me?" a lady called out to him from the other side of the desk. _I take it back… There's never a moment of peace for me._

Akane looked up at the woman, trying his hardest not to scowl at her for interrupting his last hour of peace and serenity, but when he looked up at her, he didn't find it as difficult as he anticipated. A look of intrigue was apparent on his face as his eyes met with the older woman's in synch. He wasn't especially attracted to her or anything; he was more intrigued by the way that this woman's eyes resembled just that of a woman that he was surprised he had become attracted to. Bottle green eyes and short ash blonde hair falling just above her shoulders… The resemblance this woman shared was just too scary!

"Excuse me? I was wondering if I could check out this book?" she spoke once again, handing the young man a book. It took him a minute to break the eye contact, but he finally shook himself out of it eventually. He returned his attention to the book the lady held out in her hand and he took it along with the library card she had held out.

"Of course! Excuse me for staring, ma'am. It's just… you look like someone I know," he spoke, apologizing for his rudeness as he scanned the library card and the book. He gave her a slip to sign with a pen and she giggled, taking it from his hands.

"Oh! You probably mean my daughter. If she's anything like me, I'm sure she has shown her face in here a couple of times, am I right?" she joked. Akane knew right then that the woman in front of him _had_ to be Maka's mother.

"Could you be, Kami Albarn? Maka Albarn's mother?" he asked, speaking very surely of himself. The woman known as 'Kami' looked up with a curious look that was very similar to that of her daughter's, with her eyebrow cocked and a mischievous smile paired along with it.

"Yes, that'd be me. Are you a 'friend' of my daughter's?" Kami asked, a bit assumingly. Akane laughed and took back the signed paper Kami held out, tucking it away in a folder. He returned the book to Kami, who now seemed a lot more interested to know about her daughter's so-called 'friend', who she noted was very cute and dateable. Akane nodded with a bright smile on his face.

"That's right. Maka and I had dated a couple of times. Nice to meet you, ma'am, my name's Daisuke," he greeted with his alias. Kami's eye shot wide open. When Akane's hand outstretched to grasp hers, she happily accepted and nodded her head.

"Oh, wow! You've dated my little Maka-bear? Well, looks like she sure knows how to pick 'em!" Kami laughed and Akane joined. He took back his hand and tucked his hands under the pits of his arms, frowning only with his eyes.

"Yeah, unfortunately, she left me. Guess her heart belonged to another. It's too bad." Kami frowned and placed a soft hand on his crossed arms, comforting him.

"I'm sorry. Please don't hold it against my daughter. It seems she takes after me a little too much. Once our hearts are set on one person, it's hard to break away from that, despite the situation. I'm sure she cares for you very much, Daisuke. Actually, I'm certain she does," Kami comforted. Unsurprisingly, Akane had known all about Kami and Maka. He knew all about how Maka's father cheated on her mother and how she decided to finally leave to tour the world after Maka attended her first year of college. He had seen and heard stories about Kami, but when he heard about Maka's background, he would've never pictured Kami to be how she is right now. Calm, comforting and wise. Still selfless as anything, just as her daughter; maybe to a point where it could put the both of them in danger… Akane really saw right then and there that Maka is literally the spitting image of her mother. For that, he didn't know whether to feel hopeful or sorry for Maka.

"Thank you, Ms. Albarn, but regardless of how Maka feels about me, I'll always watch out for her. Nothing'll happen to her on my watch, so rest assured." He partly told the truth. Of course, he wouldn't interfere in Maka's life just for the sake of protecting her. No, that wasn't his job. Looking after her, however, was something that he would mindfully be doing a lot of from here on out. With Soul in the predicament he's in now, he would expect that a lot of information about Maka would be necessary for his mutual business with arguably one of his favorite customers. Besides, Maka Albarn was a very interesting subject.

"Thank you, Daisuke. My Maka should be getting home shortly, so I'd better run! I hope to see you again in the near future." She quickly bid her farewell and rushed out of the door with her book and library card in hand. She ran for the direction of Maka's apartment and disappeared down the street.

Akane was not prepared for that encounter, but he was glad it happened. He had not expected Maka's mother to ever show her face in Death City again after her husband's betrayal. How would she even be able to stand the sight of him? She's got a lot of guts coming back, he thought.

 _I'm surprised that she would come out here out of the blue for Maka in the first place. Guess she got a little worried about her. They're both so selfless, it's hilarious._ Akane laughed at how unusually alike the mother-daughter duo were. Maybe looking after those two for a little while wouldn't hurt. Akane decided it'd be best to keep his eye on Maka, but Kami's profile needed updating anyway. Might as well scope her out as well. He'd be sure to send a few of his guys to follow them sometime for the books.

For the past few weeks now, everything has been a little too quiet. It didn't sit well with Akane. Maka has made no progress, which was no real surprise to him. She was a shell of a woman; or at least she was. He'd have to update her log soon to see how she's holding up. He was almost certain that Soul would soon check up on her, given that his trial date would soon be approaching. As far as Akane was allowed to know, Soul was also making no real progress either. His time in solitary confinement makes it so he is essentially isolated from everyone else, so only a select few even get to see what he looks like. However, he has heard through the grape vine that Soul has been quite cooperative with the idea of the appeal trial. Of course, he didn't go out without a lash out or two, but for the time being, he has been very neutral. He doesn't speak, he doesn't communicate; the only people he allows himself to see or speak to is his brother and his lawyer, but other than that, he is completely on his own and from the looks of it, he's fine by that. Figured that he probably just wanted to keep out of trouble for the time being so the trial was sure to run smoothly.

Julia was a whole other topic. The boss had worked day after day, tracking Julia down with whatever prior knowledge he could dig up. She had ever made a run out of the blue like this before and of course, Akane being her cousin has expected her to cower out, but finding her has proven to be a to more difficult than the originally expected. So far, Akane was able to pinpoint about four to six different locations that she could possibly be hiding out in; some more likely than others, but it still doesn't say much. He wouldn't expect Julia to run off to somewhere he would be able to guess off the top of his head. In fact, the cunning cousin was almost sure that Julia had an idea that he was partly behind her discovery. He didn't give her the satisfaction of ever admitting that she was somewhat clever, but it was the truth. A woman who can get away with multiple sexual assault cases, undetected and come out rich in the end was a task that seemed nearly impossible, but she out of anyone else he knew was able to pull it off. That says a lot about her. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Julia is not someone who deserves such praise.

 _The only thing we can do is wait for any valuable information to turn up. If those lackeys are worth anything, they'll come to me with considerable evidence that she may be residing in Italy. Hopefully they can get onto something. I don't have the money to send them off all in different directions of the world all at once to find one woman, so we have to be smart about this. I swear that I'M gonna be the one to find my sad excuse for a relative even if it's the last thing I do. I've waited this long for little miss princess to lose her crown and I'm not just gonna sit back and watch someone else take it from her. No, it's my turn to do a little damage. Whoever's willing to pay up can be the one to take her in, but no way in hell am I gonna let those bastards at the station steal my prey. She's_ mine.

With the determination set in his head, Akane eagerly awaited for his shift to end so he could prepare for another meeting with his men. Maybe if one of them were to give him some good enough details on which hideout she'd be more likely to run off to, he'd generously promote them to a higher position. He doubted that they'd reach his expectations, but a boss has got to relax every now and then!

* * *

 _LATER THAT NIGHT:_

"Mama, I'm home!" Maka called as she entered the very quieted down apartment. Kami, who had been sitting in the living room, reading her new romance novel placed her bookmark in between the pages of the library book and left it, forgotten on the couch. Maka smiled, seeing her mother walk up to her in the doorway as she removed her shoes. Kami hugged her darling daughter and greeted her warmly just as she did when Maka was a small tot.

"Hello, Maka-bear. How was work?"

"Tough. The boss is giving me assignments that have to do with government affairs and all that. You know I don't do politics." Kami laughed and patted her daughter on the back.

"Yes, Maka, but when you have a job to do, you just have to do it. I'm sure you'll understand your assignment a bit better when you get deeper into the details of it all, don't you worry!" Maka smiled and walked past her mother to enter her living room. She sloppily threw her sweater over on a chair, with the pocketbook swinging right along with it. Kami tsked at the sloppiness that was her daughter, but Maka decided not to pay any mind to it. The book that sat next to the seat her mother had taken caught her eye and a glint of interest glimmered.

"Mama, what are you reading this time?" Maka asked. As a child, Maka always used to borrow Kami's books when she had nothing else to do. Maka didn't really care what she read, so long as it was something interesting. Sure enough, Kami always had to best-sellers with the most interesting plot twists and messages. Maka always preferred Kami's books over her own collection she had as a child.

Kami picked up her book and showed it to Maka. Maka took it from her hands and read the summary on the back of the book as Kami explained.

"I just picked it up from the library! It's supposed to be about this young woman who marries her high school sweetheart, only to end up finding out that his family is tied into the state's most dangerous mafia! I just read the first three chapters and I already love it!" When Maka heard 'library', her thoughts immediately went straight to Akane. Had she met him? If she did, did he say anything about..?

"You went to the library, Mama?" Maka asked, hoping that it would trigger a conversation about Akane if she had seen him at all. Sure enough…

"Oh yes! And I met a very dashing man. Daisuke, was it? He told me he was a friend of yours," she said, winking and nudging her daughter's arm. At first, Maka didn't know who her mother had been talking about. _Daisuke? Who's Daisuke-._ Then she finally remembered that Akane goes by an alias. How could she have forgotten that?

"Oh… yeah, he's a friend."

"Maka Albarn! How dare you lie to your mother!"

"W-What?" _Had he told her?_

"Daisuke told me that you two had dated!" _Yup. He did._

Maka facepalmed and rubbed the sides of her temples. Why did he have to go and say that? Now she's gonna try to hook the two of them up so she could get over Soul! That's exactly what Kami had been thinking! Of course!

"Mama, look, I-"

"Maka, you don't have to explain it. I understand. Daisuke told me all about how the two of you just split up. He told me that it was because you were already in love with someone else." _Damn, Akane has a big mouth!_

Maka sighed regretfully. It's not like she felt great about leaving Akane in the sand for Soul. It sucked the most knowing that in the beginning she actually did care a great deal for Akane, but she supposed that her love for Soul was greater. Remembering that detail instantly made Maka depressed. She slumped down on the couch, defeated. Kami, who now felt bad about bringing up the topic, hesitated to sit next to her daughter, but did so anyway and placed a hand on Maka's slumped shoulders.

"Listen, Maka. The heart doesn't get to choose who it loves. You shouldn't beat yourself up just because Soul ended up being the one your heart wanted most…"

"Why shouldn't I? I could've told him no when he asked for my help, but I didn't. I let him in. I let him stay."

"Have you ever thought that maybe you had loved him before he came to you? Maybe that's why you said yes, dear. It wasn't you letting him stay; it was your heart refusing to let him go again," Kami spoke so sure of herself. While Maka listened, it all just seemed to make sense. She sat quietly entertaining the idea that maybe she _has_ loved him all along. Maybe the hatred she thought she had for him was just a cover for her heartbreak from him not returning his feelings. Then… he disappeared. She didn't know what to do from there. What _could_ she have done? Forget him and move on, that's what. And what easier way than to pretend like she hated him and pretend like he had never existed in the first place? Thinking about it, everything just seemed to make so much more sense… Maybe, just maybe, that's what she had to do now. Forget him and move on… but could it be as easy as it was back then?

Maka turned to face her mother slightly, tears brimming the edges of her emerald eyes. Neither of them said anything. Instead, they shared the pain in a meaningful hug. Maka understood what her next move was. All that was left was to make sure she could actually go through with it.

"Hey… Daisuke was pretty cute."

"Mama, knock it off."

 _ **A/N:**_ **Alright, there ya have it! That was Chapter 15.5 for ya! Again, I don't know when I'm going to be able to update the next chapter with all the stuff that's going on right now, but if anything else comes up, you'll be able to inform yourself on my fanfiction snapchat, so please take advantage of that. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW AND FOLLOW THIS STORY FOR MORE! Go favorite me as well for more SOMA stories! I got some good ones coming your way just as soon as I close this story up! :D I've got a lot more in store for you guys so look forward to that (;! BE SAFE! I'll see you guys soon so stay beautiful, happy reading and DON'T POKEMON GO AND DRIVE! Love you, cherubs :***


	17. Chapter 16

**_A/N: Hello my fellow readers! Yes, this is no joke! Chapter 16 for MIILWC is out (: Long time coming, I know. I apologize deeply. But I've heard your prayers! (and your snapchats xD) Yeah, guys, I can't stress enough how important it is to stay updated for these chapters! If you want to know when there may be a delay, my fanfiction snapchat is definitely the place to get in touch with me! Follow laurneathefirst on snapchat to get frequent updates or any info on the fanfictions I post. For a while, I had to put this fanfiction on a hiatus because I didn't have the tools I needed to further the content of the story and I was also in the process of sorting out my graduation and exit exams for my trade school. I'm still in the process of getting all that annoying stuff out the way, but if you ever wanna know why the chapters are being delayed, the snapchat is definitely the way to find out! Sorry for the hiatus! Love you all so much for being so patient, and for all my newcomers, (because there is quite a handful of you) WELCOME! Sit back and enjoy the chapter with a nice cup o' joe (: Happy reading!_**

 _CHAPTER 16:_

 _NORMAL P.O.V_

Another bright morning shone through Maka's window's, but this wasn't how she woke up. In fact, she could barely even bring herself to sleep the night before. Blankly staring at nothing as she laid her face half way into her pillow, Maka made a soft groan to her restless self. She remembered full well what it was that was keeping her asleep. Today was the day… The day Kami, her mother, would be leaving Death City.

The time they shared together was quite short in her eyes, but in truth, Kami felt she had stayed a bit too long. If she had stayed longer, she'd be sure that Maka would have a little separation anxiety.  
Of course she is no child, but she still very much misses her mother and has a tough time saying goodbye when the time comes to pass.

Maka wasn't all that disappointed only because her mother was leaving. She was disappointed because having her mother around was an easy distraction. A distraction from what was really going on around her. Not once has she thought of… 'he who shall not be mentioned' since her last touching moment with her mother that one late afternoon. Now that her mother would be good and gone in just a few hours, she was moreso scared of her own thoughts. Would her mind betray her? Would her heart silence its desperate pleas to hush the thought of that one man she cursed herself for ever even sparing the time of day? She was almost completely sure that it would. No, she was _positive._

Nevetheless, the day had to begin, so Maka rolled out of bed, slouching her back and scowling at the sun for bringing along the day. Sounds of the running water and the splashing of pots and pans came into earshot a few hours ago, so Maka was well aware that her mother had gotten an early start today. The blonde groaned and took small steps towards her bedroom door to exit her stuffy room.

She walked out into the living room and the sweet aroma of pancakes and fresh berries greeted her along with a bright smile almost covering all of Kami's face. As soon as Kami saw Maka's appearance, she scrunched up her nose and her smile disappeared all together.

"Maka, what the hell us that thing on your head?" Kami asked accusing, pointing to the long heap of mess that Maka didn't bother to brush out before presenting herself.

"Uhhh…my hair?" Maka answered, smartly. Kami placed her fist on either side of her hips and tsked at Maka.

"Well, you need to run a comb through those knots! Sheesh, never thought I'd have to tell my daughter how to maintain her hair!" she whispered the last sentence to herself, loud enough for Maka to hear.

"Oh come on, Mama, I just woke up!"

"I can see that!" The two ladies laughed at their short banter. No matter how old Maka was, Kami would never stop being a mother to her. That was arguably the best part of their relationship.

Kami set the table and obliged that Maka take her seat and wait. She did so, not fetching to get into another argument about guest vs. family with the woman. Kami soon put down a plateful of pancakes before her daughter, following the rule of taking half of what you think you should be eating and grabbing more later. Maka huffed to herself as she was waited on by her mother. It still bothered her deeply that Kami wanted to take care of Maka in her own home, but she supposed that she couldn't just tell her mother what to do not for the simple fact that she was her mother, but for the simple fact that she was as stubborn as anything. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

"Mamaaaaa," Maka groaned.

"Don't 'Mama' me. You are still my daughter. Now quit your whining and eat your breakfast, honey," she scolded as nicely as she could. Maka did as she was told.

Kami took a seat opposite from Maka and took a slightly smaller plate than Maka's. The mother and daughter ate in a peaceful silence, but the air was heavy. The tension was thick. Maka didn't approve of Kami leaving. In truth, Kami didn't feel like leaving at this moment was the right way to leave things off, but Maka was a grown woman. She had to fight her own battles like the grown woman she is.

The duo had so much fun being reunited. Maka hadn't been smoking as much, her cries late at night were silenced with soft rubs on the back by her mother. She was recovering, but the young, heartbroken damsel didn't feel like it with her mother there to help her through it. Kami's way of recuperating was going on shopping sprees or having picnics for lunch in the park. Never would Maka ever do this with anyone else but her mom. What was she gonna do without her? Would she go back to crying and wallowing in what could have been? She hoped not.

"When's your flight due?" Maka quietly asked almost inaudibly.

"11am. Why, trying to get rid of me already?"

"No way! I'd have you stay forever if I could."

Maka's eyes drifted off to her special little window by the couch, her eyes begging the morning sky to slow time down so she could cherish a few more hours with her mom. She was genuinely frightened by the unknowing future that would come for her after she was left alone again. Kami knew this full well. Her motherly instincts told her to give in and sympathize with her, but the woman in her told her to make Maka fast the cold facts.

"But I can't. It'll be fine, Maka, you are perfectly capable of being on your own. You were able to get through tough patches like this with Chris and you can do it again. You'll have to depend on yourself from here on out; I can't hold your hand forever," she spoke the harsh words in a gentle tone. It was strict, but the situation called for Maka to be independent. Maka was silent, her shoulders dropped realizing that nothing she could say or do would change Kami's mind. Kami would be sure to call and drop in every now and then when there was time.

"I wish you could be." Maka's mother grinned sadly.

"Me too, Maka-bear. Me too."

* * *

After the ladies finished their well-made breakfast, Kami insisted on cleaning up while Maka went ahead to take her morning shower. Of course, like always, there was a disagreement on who should truly be cleaning up the mess, but like always, Kami's stubbornness overpowered all. Maka was currently in the shower and her mother was washing the very last dish.

The television was turned on to the news channel. Maka didn't usually take part in paying attention to it, but even Kami liked to know what was going on in the outside world. She listened to it was she dried the last dish and put it in its proper home in the cupboard.

Suddenly, the news reporter moved onto the next topic and when Kami heard of what it was, she dropped what she was doing, took a seat on the couch and listened on the edge of her seat.

 _"Early this morning, an appeal trial will be taking place at the court house. One that might interest all who were left with unanswered questions a few months ago. The infamous Soul Eater case has been brought back to be tried again. Reporters tell us that Wes Evans, brother and victim to the criminal has opened back up the case after finally being told the truth about what really happened the night Soul Evans was accused of sexually assaulting his soon to be wife, Julia Matthews. Carol is downtown in front of the courthouse as the trial will soon be starting in the next hour it seems. We're going to take it down to her to see what's going on. Carol?"_ The cameras on the tv switched to an older blonde woman on the screen in a comfy jacket with a microphone in her hand. She stood across the street from the courthouse at which the trial would take place and it seemed that plenty of people were going inside to find seats to witness this trial. Kami couldn't stop watching, her eyes widening, the more she was informed.

 _This is the young man Maka had been crying over every night. The criminal she fell in love with long before she knew it. Why are they bringing back up his case? His brother had a change of heart?_ So many questions were running through her brain, but her biggest concern was the outcome of this.

 _"Yes, Martha, it's pretty insane over here. We're getting reports that Wes Evans has surprisingly stepped up for his imprisoned younger brother on the grounds that their parents were wrong to press charges on their young son. Sources say that in a month after Soul Evans' sentencing, Wes says he and his brother have been deceived by his fiancé and plans to replace Soul with Julia, putting her behind bars where she truly belongs. Right now, that's all the young man will release to us until the trial is in session. Right now, I'm seeing a lot of men and women attending this open trial, most who don't look very happy. I'm not sure what the outcome of this appeal case will be, but we are all hoping that justice will soon be served once and for all for these two families. Back to you, Martha."_

A jolt of surprise lifted Kami up out of her seat on the couch, quick to shut off the television as the bathroom door swung open. Maka was not to find out about this. Not like this at least. She could not get her hopes up on this day; not so soon at least. If the trial came out in Matthews' favor, Maka would once again be devastated to know that her love would never return no matter what. Kami would keep this a secret and hopefully, Maka would not learn about this bit of information at work today.

As far as Kami knew, Maka didn't even want to mention Soul's name, let alone take on any work involving him. She tried to get better, and the only way for her to do that was to pretend there was never any problem. She ignored the bump in the road and continued on as she had been months ago. Kami had hoped that her determination to get away from Soul would still reign true after her departure.

Maka appeared around the corner, walking to her room and she smiled at her mother. That is, before she saw her frantic eyes staring back. Her grin quickly disappeared and was replaced with a tight lined lip and scrunched brows in confusion.

"Everything alright, Mama?"

"No, not at all!" Kami answered a little too quick for Maka's liking. She noticed that Maka wasn't buying it, so she tried her best to stray away from the topic.

"You'd better dry that hair of yours and get dressed for work! You've missed way too many days this week for my sake, so get your butt into that bedroom and hurry it up!" Kami scolded. Maka held both her hands up in surrender and retreated to her room with a bored expression. _At least she still listens…_

With a pep in her step, Kami went into the bathroom to get herself ready. She had a court session to attend…

* * *

Meanwhile elsewhere, Soul was pacing back and forth in his fresh tan prison suit, waiting for his brother and his lawyer to appear. Early this morning before the sun was even in the sky, a couple of guards came to retrieve him from his cell and drive him off to the courthouse. They pushed him along the corridors below the building and had him shower and freshen up a bit more for his trial and forced him into new clothes before they shoved him back into another barred cell.

A couple weeks ago, Justin had come in to tell him that his appeal trial would take place very soon, so of course, he has been preparing. Got his haircut finally, been working out every day… He had been quite proud of himself for getting through these past few months without getting into a lot of trouble… but that's just mainly because the guards knew not to pick a fight with the guy who spent his entire day doing strengthening workouts.

The two guards who stood on either side of Soul's cell door looked ahead, trying not to make eye contact with 'the almighty Soul Eater who tears the throats of innocents for fun.' Soul laughed at himself a little. What did these guards think he was, an animal? All the guards had some kind of tale for him and they just got more and more entertaining.

 _Today was the day. I've been waiting on this moment for so long and it's finally here._ Many lonely nights, Soul would think about this day and what he would do first when freedom was once again granted to him. He was sure, as his brother said, Wes would help him with whatever he needed to get back on his feet, but he couldn't live off of his brother's pity and regret. What would he wanna do? Where would he wanna go? Will the world still shun him away? There were so many things to consider, it was almost overwhelming just thinking of taking his first step out of the court.

The more time that passed, the more voices and footsteps were heard above his head. It was soon time to face the judge. Any minute now, Wes and Justin would come to retrieve him to go toe to toe with his parents. A scoff escaped Soul's throat thinking about the slime he once called 'Mother' and 'Father'. Calling them parents was an insult to parents all around the world. How could they abandon their child for the sake of another aristocratic family's benefits to theirs? They'd really choose money over their youngest son? Soul was 16… Fucking 16 years old, running on the streets, evading red and blue lights that followed after him everywhere he poked his head out. For what? A false claim? Not even. Soul knew that his parents didn't fully believe what Julia had told them all those years ago. They were idiots, but they aren't actually that stupid. The reason he had the police chasing after them was because his parents felt that he was only costing their family. He'd go to public schools instead of private, he wasn't as talented as his older brother in the art of music… he was the family outcast! Sticking the feds on him was the only way they could permanently remove him without looking like total failures in their high-class society. They would be heroes. What pigs… He wished they could go to jail along with Julia.

Listening to his parents when he was younger only got him into trouble. In school, the teachers would always tell you to respect and trust adults because they'd always know what's best, but in Soul's case, they couldn't be anymore wrong. He had wasted some of the best years of his life living in cardboard boxes in dark alleyways simply by listening to his parents his whole life. Having them rule over him and letting them have control over who he could and couldn't be around. _What a joke… What a sick fucking twisted joke._ They stole so much from him and if only his heart was smaller, he would've loved to do the same to them. Still, there was a fact that his parents were next to untouchable. With all that money in their pockets and all those connections they have made, who wouldn't? They've got friends he's never even known about, so Soul wasn't about to start getting hasty. After this was all over, he simply wanted to pretend that they never existed.

They'd never be a part of his life. They'd never see him grow, they'd never hear his name, they'd never see his future family, they'd never even get to meet their future grandkids if he was ever lucky to have them. This was the last time they'd ever see their young son. And he meant it.

"Morning, champ," Wes' voice echoed from a hallway in the corner of the room. Soul's head snapped up, recognizing his voice and there his brother was in a black and white suit and tie all formal-like. He smiled at his little brother, approaching the bars with the same headphone-wearing lawyer in a priest's robe following behind him. Soul snorted.

"Who the hell says 'champ' anymore, Wes?" his deep raspy voice spoke. He hadn't spoken in a while. At least, not full words or sentences. The only ones he really had to talk to were the guards and he wasn't so sure that he'd want to associate himself with those losers. So uncool.

The guards on either side of the cell door opened up the cell and handcuffed Soul before letting him exit along with Wes and Justin. Soul allowed this. Justin stalked up to Soul inside his Soul and smiled down at him with triumph. That was the look of a sure victory.

"You ready for this?" he asked over the rock music blasting in his eardrums. Seriously, how could he even think with the music that loud? Soul shrugged.

"I guess so. It doesn't matter whether I am or not, does it?"

Soul sounded kinda depressing, but that wasn't the case at all. If anything, his adrenaline was at an all-time high; he just refused to get his hopes up. This was serious business and he had to treat it as such. Still, even just getting out of a cell and seeing the faces of actual people who lead actually decent lives was exciting to him. Anything was better than a dirty cell and the smell of cigarettes and mold.

"Hey… we got this, alright?" Wes assured, resting a manly hand on Soul's shoulder. Wes knew his brother was keeping his guard up. He became very untrusting within his time in the slammer.

Soul nodded and take a deep breath for confidence. With that, the group of men continued down the hallway, escorted by the statue-like guards.

The walk was long. The longest walk he had ever taken. He supposed that this held true for most people in his position. He spent his long walk thinking of what on Earth he should expect out of this. As much as he knew, his freedom was held in the hands of Akane. Of course that was where Wes got his information. Could he truly trust him? Julia is Akane's cousin and although Soul knew they didn't get along, he also knew that Akane would do almost anything for the right price. For all he knew, Julia could've paid Akane to give Maka false documents to give to Wes. Maka pays Akane full price and Julia pays him an even bigger price. Triple the money. How could he pass that up, even for his rival cousin? Akane definitely hadn't given Soul any kind of reason to trust him.

Soul growled to himself. He was remembering Akane and Maka that one night Soul had stopped in to visit her. The wounds still hadn't healed and Akane was soon going to pay. Even if Akane ends up saving Soul's prison life, he still betrayed him and tried to steal _his_ girl from him. That bastard tried to take advantage of _his_ girl. He's sure to understand that if Soul was ever let loose, he'd find a way to make him pay for what he did. That alone gave Soul yet another reason not to trust Akane… but trusting him was the only ticket to freedom, despite his warning signs in his head.

Soul, Wes and Justin walked up a flight of stairs and exited the long hallway. Before them was the large grand doors with large statues of their mayor holding up an oversized gavel, guarding either side of the courtroom doors.

"Bring out the defendant," the booming, commanding voice ordered from the other side of the door. The two guards that followed along with the group of men opened both doors to the courtroom and they roughly grabbed either side of Soul's arm, tugging him along into the courtroom filled to the brim with reporters, victims and pedestrians with curiosity. The family wanted this to be an open trial. That way, everyone could see the downfall of Soul Eater by their hands. Sadly for them, that wasn't going to be the case.

Soul scanned the room. Lots of faces that expresses sheer anger, audacity and disgust. Either side of the room hated him. The tension in this room was almost suffocating. All of a sudden, he notices one woman in particular who was giving him a different vibe than everyone else. What really drew his attention to her was the fact that she strutted a similar blonde head of hair that looked awfully familiar to him. He did a double take to his side of the room to get a better, more clear look at the woman, thinking for just a split second that she could've been someone of importance to him. Evidently, he was wrong. She was much older and had much shorter hair than the woman he had mistaken her for. Still… she looked awfully familiar… Green eyes, ash blonde hair… porcelain skin… Could… could it be?

The green-eyed, ash blonde woman smiled at him knowingly. This confirmed his thoughts. There was no other way! She had to be Maka's mother! The question in his mind, though, was what in the hell was she doing here? Didn't Maka say that she was traveling the world? Could that really be the infamous Kami Albarn that he had heard so much about through the grapevine?

The possible 'Kami Albarn' had nodded her head at Soul as if reading and confirming his thoughts. His eyes almost bulged out of his head, realizing this. He stopped in his tracks only to be pulled along by the guards again. Wes noticed Soul's struggled to move and had noticed that his mind was not in the court.

"Hey, what's wrong? Let's get moving," Wes whispered into Soul's ear, knocking him out of his daze. Soul looked at Wes and shook his head clear again, doing what his older brother instructed of him. Countless times, Soul looked back at the smiling woman. How could he not? His love's mother was here to watch his family accuse him of the horrible things that split him and her daughter apart. Guilt washed over him immediately realizing this. He was guilty of nothing, but he was sorry that he had caused her daughter so much pain from these claims.

Soul, Wes and Justin took a seat on their side of the court, in front of the gate, separating the crowd from those involved in the case. The jury watched him with cold eyes and he gulped, knowing this may not be as easy as he had hoped. Nobody in the room looked particularly forgiving or friendly… that is, with the exception of Miss Albarn, whose gaze pierced holes in his back. He turned back to look at the Maka look-alike a few rows back and when they locked eyes, it was almost as if they were communicating through eye contact. Both understood each message clearly and answered back without mumbling a single word.

 _'You're her mother?'_ Souls asked, pleading and hoping that she'd answer 'yes'. She nodded once in confirmation.

 _'Yes.'_ Her innocent smirk reminded him of the girl he thought of so often. There was no doubt in his mind… This was the infamous Kami Albarn. He had just wished that they'd met on better terms. He frowned, full of guilt.

 _'I'm sorry for what happened,'_ his sorrowful sulk worded. Kami shook her head, assuring him that he was not to blame for his situation. She understood fully that something had to have been going on behind the scenes when the young boy was put out for an arrest. She never blamed him. How could she after hearing such great things from her daughter? Kami knew just as well as Maka that there was some good in him that maybe he couldn't even recognize himself. For that, she smiled again in the accepting motherly way that he had never been familiarized with by his own parents.

 _'It's okay. Don't beat yourself up; everything'll be okay.'_ At least, that's what Soul grabbed from her overbearingly protective expression. That's all he needed to gain a little more confidence. Wow… it really was no wonder how much this woman meant to Maka… He felt a little jealous that a stranger like Kami could show him more care than his own family who was currently staring daggers at him across the room out of the corner of their disapproving eyes. He could spit on their graves and not have a second thought about it ever; that's how bad everything has gotten. But maybe all parents weren't the same after all.

 _'Don't you worry; I'm gonna come back for Maka and I'll do everything in my power to treat her right!'_ His radiating determination said it all. Kami let out a breath of air and silently prayed that he was

 _'Good. Treat my daughter well. I'm leaving her to you, so don't let me down.'_

 _'I won't.'_

* * *

"State your name for the court please."

"Soul Evans." The interrogation began a little while after the introductions. Justin was allowed to pick his first witnesses, so he intended to call up the man in question first. Both men were very straight faced and serious, it was almost insane how tense the air felt. This trial could determine Soul's life, so of course it'd be taken very seriously. Kami watched on in anticipation, hoping that her daughter kept herself from finding out about this trial. Oh, how devastated she would be if she had known that the man of her dreams was being tried.

"Age?"

"23."

"Occupation around the time your crime was allegedly committed?"

"I was a professional pianist… Well, at least I was in the making of becoming one."

"Hmm, yes, as I recall, you were quite young during this time. Still in high school in fact, correct?"

"Yes." Everything Justin pointed out was a key fact that soon would come into place in the end. Every little detail was excruitatingly crutial to the relevance of the setup and it was amazing that they couldn't have just put it all together in the end. It was a wonder how this case was so questionable for so long.

"What is your relationship to Mr. Wes Evans?" Justin asked, pointing out Wes from the table so everyone could refer to the 'criminal's older brother.

"He is my older brother."

"Would you say that the two of you are close?" Soul hung his head a little in disappointment.

"We were. Maybe not as much as two brothers should have been, but we were."

And that was the absolute truth. When Soul felt like the odd one out, Wes always made sure to check on him and talk to him from here and then to make sure everything was alright. He couldn't really remember at what point, the two stopped getting along, but it had happened. When it did, Soul no longer relied on Wes at all. In fact, he found it easier to not be around his brother and his success, as Soul was labelled the family's failure.

"Would you ever try to purposely harm your brother, given your somewhat broken relationship?"

"No, not at all."

"Do you believe that he would ever purposely try to harm you in any way?"

"I do not." Justin squinted his eyes a bit more.

"We know that Wes is notably a successful member of your family. In that case, would you ever feel that he'd need to be taken from? You know, to even out the differences between you and him?" That question was a hard question that Soul had thought over many times. Of course, Soul hated his brother for always being the one he was compared to. It was a given that he'd want him to feel the way that he felt, but… He didn't deserve to be taken from.

"No; he's my brother, not my rival." Justin smirked at the young man's answer, mindfully congratulating him for pointing out that detail.

Justin took a few steps back and forth on the courtroom floor, flipping through a stapled document of notes he had taken for this case. He skimmed through the form for his next set of questions. The cross-examination questions that would shift the story that everyone had so faithfully believed for such a long time.

"Let's continue onto our cross-examination, alright?" Soul nodded his head. Justin did as well in agreement and he continued with his first question. "You are familiar with Julia Matthews, correct?"

Soul nodded his head and answered, 'yes' clear enough for everyone to hear.

"Can you please describe Julia in your own perspective? What do you know about her?" Justin asked. The man in question cleared his throat and looked directly in his lawyer's eyes, not daring to let anyone doubt him by his body language.

"Julia Matthews is the daughter of one of my father's business partners. She was the fiancé to my older brother and for a short time, she lived with our family in Death City."

"Perfect. Would you ever consider yourself close to Miss Matthews?" Soul rolled his eyes and scowled, trying his hardest not to show his digust. Clearly, he wasn't very good at that.

"No, not at all, in fact."

"Did you ever take an interest in Julia Matthews at one point?" Justin asked. The taste in Soul's mouth became very sour as he answered Justin's question. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, not liking that he even had to admit this to the public. _Why were there so many damn people here anyway?!_

"At one point, yes I did, in a way."

"Did you ever do anything inappropriate with this woman behind her fiancé, your brother's back?"

"Well, yes."

"Please describe those actions for the court." Justin was murdering him with every question. Of course, he had to be honest for the sake of the case, but this isn't anything he would have wished to say aloud! The guilt hammered down on him harder than anything; especially when he looked into the crowd and saw Kami's glistening green eyes staring him down in the crowd. He was hoping she'd still believe his thoughts from earlier about taking care of Maka when he gets the hell out of here. Soul gulped and shamefully looked down at his folded hands on the counter of the booth he sat in.

"At first, I ignored her… I liked to focus on my piano lessons a lot; it helped me keep calm, you know. She would sometimes interrupt my work when I was practicing at home to flirt with me or make some kind of pass when Wes wasn't around to keep her busy…"

* * *

 _~FLASHBACK~_

 _YOUNG SOUL'S P.O.V_

 _KNOCK KNOCK. My fingers jumped off of the piano, surprised from the aggressive knock on my door. Who the hell could that be?! My parents are always telling me to freakin' practice, so why the –_

 _The door creaked open when I saw_ _ **her**_ _walk in, uninvited. The smile on her face was purely sinister while the look in her eyes were mysteriously lusting. Damn, I hate this girl. She always comes in here in the middle of my work! When will she get the hint already?!_

 _"Hey, baby, whatcha doing?"_

 _"_ _ **Baby?**_ _" I spat in question. She walked up to my piano stool with a sway in her hips that I hoped she realized wasn't unnoticeable._

 _"Mhmmmm! When are you gonna stop playing the good little son and come play with me?" the grown ass woman asked. I rolled my eyes and elbowed her away from me when she tried to wrap her tiny arms around me._

 _"Knock it off, Julia. Where's my loser brother? Why don't you go bother him instead?"_

 _"I don't want him. It's only you, babe. It's always only been you," she whispered into my ear, taking me off guard. I didn't even realize how close she was until she was practically nibbling on my ear. A shudder was sent down my back, but it wasn't welcomed. I forcefully got up form my seat and walked towards the exit._

 _"Listen, I'm not interested. You can just take your little nicknames and presses and you can stay away from me, alright?" With that, I slammed the door behind me and marched off to my silent room, not letting anyone enter. Why can't everyone just learn to leave me the fuck alone?! First Maka, now this annoying chick! GOD!_

* * *

 _But then… something inside him changed… He was no longer the reserved Soul that he used to be…_

 _~FLASHBACK~_

 _SOUL'S P.O.V_

 _It was right when I got home from school. In highschool, I guess you could say that I was going through a phase. A phase of doing everything my parents didn't want me to. Often times, they would shut me out and force me to study my music or practice my piano skills or compare me to Wes. Well… after a while of hearing them calling me out and comparing me to someone I was never going to be, I rebelled. I couldn't take any of it anymore. I was grown and I was on my way to becoming something they'd never even dream of. My own person. So at this time, I was opening up to people, breaking some rules, getting in trouble, staying out when they'd tell me to come home… The list was endless. I made enemies, I made short-time friends… Life was good. At this point as well, I was doing the most taboo thing I could do in my family…_

 _SLAM!_

 _"Ahh! S-Soul?"_

 _I was screwing my brother's girlfriend behind their backs._

 _As soon as I got home and realized that no one else was in the house, but the two of us, I marched upstairs to her and Wes' bedroom and I slammed the door open. There the devil was, in nothing but a tank top and a pair of skanky shorts. She was planning to come into my room, no doubt. She always did this when my parents weren't home to catch us… Today, particularly, I wasn't in the mood to deny her. Why? Well… Let's just say that a certain someone had finally declared her hatred for me. And let me tell you, it was the hottest thing I have ever seen… BUT, THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT!_

 _I grabbed the older girl in front of me and picked her up, wrapping her legs around me and slamming her into the wall roughly. She yelped and looked at me with a large smile and darkening eyes. I didn't bother explaining a single thing to her before I pulled her in for a meaningless kiss. I needed to take out my frustration somehow. The more I thought about the day, the more I needed to release some tension._

 _She tightened her legs around my waist and grounded her hips into mine, shoving her tongue in my mouth sloppily. It wasn't hot at all. In fact, I felt nothing but lust. There was nothing but disgust I felt for this girl for moving in on her fiance's brother, but she wanted it and I needed it, so therefore, it had to be done._

 _I moved my hands to her ass and squeezed her closer, grinding back into her. She groaned, approvingly and threw her hands through my hair. She broke the kiss and looked into my eyes._

 _"Take me to your room," she commanded. I nodded my head and did as she told me to, stumbling into the next room to toss ourselves on the bed. I wasted no time, stripping her and unbuttoning my pants. I didn't bother undressing._

 _"Hurry it up!" she panted, trying to help my pants off. Her moans were so exaggeratingly annoying to me. Gosh if she kept this up, she was gonna turn me off before we started anything! With that being said, I sprung myself free and quickly found her drenched opening. That was quick, especially for someone like her!_

 _I positioned myself with her hole and quickly pushed myself in all the way. She gasped loudly and started grinding herself on me, impatiently. It was messing up my whole rhythm, so I forcibly took the control from her and held her hips in place as I slammed in and out of her easily. A bit too easily. She moaned and pulled my hair. Julia pulled my neck closer down at her mouth as I continued these slick, clapping movements. She bit down and began sucking hard. I groaned and closed my eyes._

 _This wasn't as great as I expected it would be, so instead of indulging in that, I just focused my mind on the fiery green eyes that enticed me earlier today. God, it took so much to not just take her on the desk with her scrunched up nose, her glaring green eyes, her teary red face… I should hate being so sadistic towards a seriously angry girl, but damn… She's never acted that way towards me… I love getting her upset. I'm gonna have to keep this in mind for later._

 _"AHH! SOUL! UGH, YES!" the girl beneath me cried, disrupting my pleasant thoughts. The sounds that came out of her mouth could easily be compared with a monkey's. I turned up that perverted side of my mind and pictured a particular girl instead of Julia and I rushed to finish this quickly. I slammed in and out of Julia, needing release more than anything right now. I groaned, wishing this wasn't Julia I was with right now, but the girl, plaguing my thoughts._

 _"Ahh, yeah baby, come already!" I hissed between clenched teeth. I hated myself. God, I hated myself so much for needing it this bad, but it did the trick. I pulled out of Julia and spilled seed all over my sheets with a single fuck to give. I honestly hated myself in this moment. As the sweat dripped down our backs and we fell back into the bed together, I felt a sense of disgust. How could I be so pathetic? Looking back on it now, I'm not really all that proud of myself, but back then, it was really only about getting what I needed and nothing more. Maybe I should've been a little more careful in retrospect._

 _"Mmm, that was nice, wasn't it?" Julia asked, crawling back on top of me. Her evil smile was nothing short of just that. She didn't look like the innocent girls I usually went for which was even more of a reason to not go any further after today. She just wasn't for me. She wasn't mine, I'd never be hers, I never_ _ **wanted**_ _to be hers and besides… I just plain couldn't stop thinking about another girl the whole entire time. What did that say?_

 _"Yeah, we should do this again sometime." She grinned and traced circles on my chest seductively._

 _"We can go again right now if you want…" After that… it was all history from there._

* * *

 _PRESENT:_

"I played around with her for a while. It was really just out of sport; just something to help relieve some built up stress, but after a while, I just couldn't do it anymore. I felt like I was doing the wrong thing in using her for my own needs and purposes, so I tried to let her go. Obviously, she wasn't very happy with that when I started to back away." Soul's face drooped in guilt. How could he be so careless? How could he think that karma wasn't gonna make its way back to him? Damn, he really messed up. Hopefully, he wished, he could right his wrongs somehow and create a better life for himself to make up for the one he fucked up.

Justin nodded his head and gave Soul a minute to regain his focus before he continued on with the examination. This was a really rough case this time around. As Soul looked around the courtroom, he noticed a lot of rolling eyes and scoffs and 'how dare he's. Honestly, that wasn't what tore him up the most. What broke him was that the mother of the woman who has always plagued his thoughts since the beginning was furrowing her brows, confused. He was probably taking it too personally, but he felt he really needed to prove something here so she couldn't second-guess him. If he wanted to prove anything to anyone, it had to be Kami, as she was the representative for the one he kept away for emotional purposes. A part of him wished that Maka could actually be there, but if this was the way that Kami was taking the case so far, there was no doubt in his mind that Maka would be hysterical hearing the things he was about to confess.

"Was it Julia that came onto you first?" Justin asked regarding the provocative actions that Julia took to lead him on. Soul nodded and spoke with his words to confirm.

"Yes, she did." He could hear his parents snorting to themselves as he answered his questions. Not once did he even give them a glance. They didn't deserve a single bit of his attention or time.

"Did Wes know about you and Julia having intercourse?"

"I don't think he did, no. Most of the time, this would happen when no one was home at all."

"Is there any chance that Julia had begun to grow on you after all of this contact?" Justin asked. It was a given that Soul would hate everything about Julia so Soul had to hide a snide comment after his answer. This was a professional, serious environment, but he could just barely take the question seriously.

"Not at all. In fact, I was the one who insisted we split in the first place."

"So you decided to end your contact with Julia?"

"Yes."

"Did she agree to stop?"

* * *

 _FLASHBACK:_

 _"Look, Julia," Soul started, tying his bathrobe as he dressed himself on the edge of Julia and his brother's shared bed. After a couple of weeks, sneaking around for someone like Julia had really been eating at him. He didn't love her and they both knew that very well. So why bother? Every time he was with her, he was thinking of another._

 _"I can't keep doing this with you anymore."_

 _"Of course you can, silly. I know you want this as bad as I do, so why fight it? No one will ever know," she cooed, crawling up from behind him and reaching into the inside of his robe to lightly brush her fingertips over his chest. He flinched at her touch and quickly stood up from the bed, shaking her off._

 _"Do you not get why this is wrong? You're my brother's fiancé, Julia. Don't you have any respect for him?"_

 _"It's only an arranged marriage. You're the one I truly wanna be with, baby-"_

 _"Cut that 'baby' crap out, I said. Look, I don't love you… Hell, I don't even really like you! So let's just stop this and pretend that this never happened, alright?" Soul said, from the tone of his voice, he wasn't taking no for an answer. Julia smiled up at him with a darkness in her eyes. She looked somewhat innocent and understanding, but Soul knew innocent, and the girl in front of him was everything but that._

 _"Alright, Soul. If you really wanna be set free that bad… Then let's pretend this never happened, okay?" Soul cocked an eyebrow up at the girl, not truly believing that it could've been that easy to shake her off, but…_

 _"'Kay… Thanks."_

 _"Mmm, just come and give me one last kiss before you leave," she said, standing naked from the bed and walking up to him. Soul roll his eyes and looked away and she felt on his chest again. Did she really not understand the meaning of 'no'?_

 _All he did was remove her hands from his chest and push her away a bit before he fast-walked out the door to his brother's bedroom. From that point on, he refused to have any kind of contact with her. Sexual or non-sexual… But things didn't go as planned when she snuck into his room a couple weeks later with a video camera._

* * *

 _PRESENT:_

"I thought she did. She said she did when I brought it up and we hadn't talked or seen each other for a couple of weeks after. There was no contact whatsoever, but then next thing you know, I'm waking up in the middle of a random night to her sneaking into my bed and accusing me of sexual assault the next day," he spat. His own family couldn't even consider that much? The fact that Soul hadn't even looked in Julia's direction for weeks and weeks on end and then suddenly she's accusing him of rape? Either they were clueless or they truly just wanted a reason to be rid of him. Soul guessed the latter.

"Explain, for us, that night that you're referring to, if you will," Justin instructed, holding his chin up with his index finger. Soul nodded in compliance and recalled the night, much to his dismay.

"Well, that night, my brother and my parents were out for an emergency business call. Julia and I had separated into our own bedrooms. I slept alone, she slept alone…"

 _FLASHBACK:_

 _SOUL'S P.O.V._

 _I studied hard that day. For weeks now, I'd go multiple days without going to school just because my parents instructed me to attend certain shows or award ceremonies. They'd even take me out of school to focus on my piano lessons some days. I was beginning to flunk out in my classes; not that it mattered either way. Mom and Dad didn't care much about my public school anyway. So long as I had an outstanding career as a pianist, they'd homeschool me if they thought it was worth the time. However, I'm nothing like their perfect son, Wes. I'd never even get the chance to be homeschooled with how hard they worked me. It was always, 'you're a lazy bum' this and 'you'll never be anything like Wes' that. Every opportunity they had to compare us too, they would just to gloat about having a successful son that was on the way to being in the history books. I, however, was much different. That's what they hated most._

 _Anyways, I was unbelievably tired by noon time, but I somehow managed to stay awake around 9pm. As soon as my parents and my older brother left for their little conference or whatever the hell they did (it's not like they ever told me anything), I took the chance to go to sleep early just so they wouldn't work me all night when they came back. Hopefully they wouldn't feel the need to wake me from a deep sleep. Even if they did, at least I caught a few z's before they did wake me up. God, I'd like to not think about it._

 _I barely even noticed that Julia was there. I rarely ever even look in her direction or give her the time of day. It's too hard focusing on becoming a worthy Evan's family member to deal with the second favorite. Ain't that just sad? Having to come in last place to a person who isn't even part of the family? I often wondered why they hated me so much in the first place. You'd think a mother would have a place in her heart for her babies, but not this one. Never had I ever even heard an 'I love you' from either of the bastards._

 _After I broke things off with her, she seemed to keep to herself and it_ _ **seemed**_ _like she was backing off… but with her, I should've known better. As soon as things were getting comfortable and things started going well, she just had to ruin it somehow._

 _I barely even noticed that she opened my door. In truth, I had heard the sound of the creak, but subconsciously ignored it for the sake of taking my short-lived break from playing. What really woke me up was the sudden weight at the foot of the bed. It felt as if someone where climbing onto me, so I woke up in a jolt and scowled hard at the cause of the weight._

 _"Hey, what the hell are you doing in my bed?! Get lost!" Of course, she didn't take me seriously enough, seeing as she kept creeping closer with a sinister grin on her face that I wasn't liking. I tried backing away when she crawled under the sheets and started feeling on my bare chest. This was getting ridiculous. Honestly, you would think that a girl who already had my perfect brother would be satisfied with him alone. It seemed everyone else was. All except this annoying little tease._

 _"Seriously, Julia, get out of here. NOW." I glowered at the girl, but it didn't really help much. She smirked even deeper now and inched closely. In response to her touch, I pushed her away further and kept her at a distance. However, the more force I put in to keep her away, the more force she fought back with. "Aww, c'mon. Don't you wanna play?" she teased. At this point, I was beyond annoyed. This chick has the nerve to disturb my few minutes of peace for this bullshit affair? How desperate was she? All I asked for was some peace for once in this godforsaken house. On top of that, she was acting really strange. I know how she is normally in bed, but on this night particularly, she acted real suspicious. It was like she was trying to get something out of me. Knowing this, I only tried pushing her out of my room even more. In reaction to my rejection, she attempted to move her hands lower and remove the belt from my jeans that I neglected to change out of. In a quick motion, I roughly grabbed both of her hands and picked myself up to slam them down on either side of her head, pinning her down forcefully so she'd contain herself._

 _"FUCKIN' STOP! WHAT IS YOUR DAMN PROBLEM?!" I growled, fed up. To make the situation even more suspicious, the girl seemed to have immediately lost her confidence and she began whining and crying. Her screeches were enough to make me let her go, but she even started to kick me away. From there, I should've realized her set up, but instead, I let her go. She ran out the door that night, slammed a door and didn't bother me for the rest of the night. It was only until the next day that she ruined my whole life._

* * *

 _PRESENT:_

"Easy enough, she came into my room randomly while I was sleeping and started on with this nonsense. She started touching me inappropriately and after I told her to knock it off, she just didn't listen. So from there, I pinned her arms down so she'd lay off and I told her once again to cut it out. Next thing you know, she's screaming bloody murder and kicking me, so I let her run off and we didn't bother each other for the rest of the night."

"How long had it been since you two had put an end to your sexual contact, would you say?"

"Almost a month. There was no communication whatsoever between the two of us. We pretended like we didn't even exist, so there was no real reason as to why she would've been in my room elsewise. I had no desire to be with her in the slightest. She was just a replacement," Soul half-spoke to himself. Recently, he had just made that discovery on his own as he thought about it. All this time, he thought that it was just him doing it with Julia for the hell of it, but there were deeper reasons beyond that. It amazed him actually.

"Yes, I'm aware… Before we get into that, though, I want to ease the jury's mind to ensure that my client here is no liar. It has come to my attention that many of you have read the transcript for my client's first trial and I can see the look on your faces that you are very doubtful. So, may I present my first exhibit, your honor?" Justin asked politely from the judge. The man nodded once and allowed the lawyer to rummage through his suitcase to present two CDs. The audience stayed completely silent as they sat on the edge of their seats. Not only was the jury doubtful, but so was the rest of DC. These disks would lay out the entire case right there for them.

"In my hands, here, I have two disks. One may look familiar to some of you. It was an exhibit in my client's previous trial and it was also a very crucial exhibit for my opponent's client, Ms. Julia Matthews. These disks hold the truth and a fabricated truth as to what actually happened the night Soul Evans is referring to. You see, Ms. Matthews was so insistent that maybe something would've happened between her and my client that night that she was clever enough to plant a video camera in his room. Don't exactly know why she would've decided to plant this camera, but nonetheless, it exists. If any of you had previously seen this tape, you'd know that the video was completely deprived of any sound. With that being said, no one can deny that this video has been tampered with somehow."

"Objection!" an old man's voice sounded from the other side of the court. Justin turned to the source and emotionlessly stared into the eyes of Mr. Mosquito. The judge allowed Mosquito to explain his objection with a single nod.

"Your honor, this man is clearly misleading the court! I simply cannot sit here and watch as he questions the relevance of my client's information. She has been victimized by Mr. Soul Evans and I find it insulting that he would insinuate that she was the cause of her own abuse!" Mr. Mosquito defended. Justin didn't flinch in the slightest bit. It was certainly colder than Wes or Soul had ever witnessed of Justin.

On the contrary, your honor, I am not accusing Julia Matthews of being the cause of her own abuse because I am simply saying that there was never any real threat. You see, the 'abuse' that Mr. Mosquito is referring to is an illusion that his client has created. This exhibit will surely showcase that for anyone else who may feel unjustified by my claim," Justin retorted. The sparks between Mr. Mosquito and Mr. Law were intense. Mr. Mosquito was visibly scowling at Justin; however, the lawyer didn't seem phased at all by his opponent's weak assumptions. Kami watched intensely at Law's allegations, hoping to God that he would defend Soul well enough. Nothing could convince her that this man on trial was actually guilty; she just needed other people to see the same good in Soul that she could see without even personally knowing the young boy.

She remembered how her daughter would often come home from school talking about a young boy with red eyes and white hair that often isolated himself. Some days she had good things to say; that is to say that most days she had great things to say. Other days, she'd come home crying wondering if the reason why he couldn't be her friend was because of her. Maybe _she_ had done something wrong. Still, she never had anything bad to say about him… Even after she grew to dislike him in their high school years. To Kami, Maka would never openly speak about the boy as she did when she was younger. Maka, to simply put it, was hurt by him. There were times were Kami would overhear her saying that she hated the boy, but Kami knew her daughter too well. Way too well. That's why she was here today. To make sure that there could never be any doubt that Kami was right about the young boy with white hair and red eyes all along. She needed to know that she had been right this whole time and above that, she had to have to comfort of knowing that her daughter would soon be happy again. Happy with the guy she's waited for all these years.

"May I show the footage, your honor?" Justin asked for permission. The old judge nodded once.

"Proceed, Mr. Law. Mr. Mosquito, unless you have viable evidence that Mr. Law is bluffing, I'd implore you to not hypocritically object to his claims of misleading the court with just words," the judge called out. Some jaws dropped in the audience. It was clear that Mr. Mosquito was getting on the judge's nerves. Feeling that he has just been put in his place, Mosquito acceptingly sat down in his chair next to a couple of angry families behind his table. Soul chuckled to himself, watching Mosquito take the same abusing glares that his family had shamed him with once before. Funny how he can laugh at it now knowing how terrified those frowns used to make him as a young boy.

Justin Law called for a television and a CD player, which the officers happily supplied him with in a matter of a couple minutes. He adjusted the roller TV so that everyone in the court had a good enough view. Before he entered the CD, Law reminded the court that the contents on the CD may be a little explicit for some and that if it bothered anyone to see such acts, then to kindly take a place outside in the hall if needed.

"Here, you will see the video that Ms. Matthews was so kind to bring to our attention in the last trial involving Soul Evans. I simply asked to borrow this exact clip. This is the one and only; there are no other copies out there of this disk. I feel I should have you keep this in mind the eliminate any possibilities of doubting the truth behind this exhibit. Here it is, ladies and gentlemen," Justin introduced. He pressed the play button and presented the clip to the audience.

Just as everyone had seen before, there was no audio at all to this video. The scene between Soul and Julia played out exactly as it had when everyone else had watched in Soul's sentencing trial. There was visibly a series of kicking and screaming from Julia, but as she ran out of the room, the video immediately cut off. Very short and simple video showing Soul as a predator and Julia as the prey. When the tape shut off, the audience began murmuring to themselves. Some comments, Soul could hear. He mainly heard the ones openly calling him some choice names.

"Order. ORDER! Mr. Law.."

"Your honor. Now that our guests have seen the tape, I'm sure you are almost certain that Soul is a convict of no innocence. Here, I have another disk. A disk that has been kept in the shadows all along." Soul watched quietly as his lawyer paraded around the courtroom with this disk held high in the air for all to see. He made eye contact with his girl's mother and she offered him an assuring smile. He smirked back to be kind, but honestly, he had to talk to Maka about how her mother was so familiar with him when he got out of this. _Little Maka must've leaked some details about me to her mother. She always did exaggerate her kindness. Heh… another thing to tease her about._

"Here, you will see an unedited version of the same clip you just saw. This video has a full footage from the moment Julia placed the camera on the shelf to when she took it off the shelf and shut it off. Everyone here will know exactly what happened, how it happened and why it happened. Please keep an open eye as you watch this video. Pay close attention to every detail and you will reveal the truth to yourself. Here we go, ladies and gentlemen."

The tape ran, showing the exact clip that Wes had seen and confronted his soon-to-be fiancé with. When Soul looked over at his brother at their table, Wes had to look to the side as the clip played. Soul assumed that it was just because the truth hadn't fully settled in with him yet. Wes accepted this evidence, but it made him sick seeing that he chose _this_ over his brother and robbed seven years of his life away from him. Robbed his teenage years, part of his adult life… He couldn't even be a part of that all because he blinded believed the woman he wanted so bad to trust.

Soul watched the woman make every single move on him that he remembered. She baited him, but he didn't give in. This was the exact thing that had happened that night. A sense of liberation washed over the young criminal when he watched the jaws drop in the crowd of people. Some of their eyes widened at the dialogue in the video. Yes… this was the truth. This was the sad little detail that everyone was missing. His eyes found Maka's mother's in the crowd and she justly smiled at the video footage.

She knew she had to be right. There was just no way. Kami looked over at the 'criminal' and nodded once in approval. He had to get out of this hellhole and return to her daughter's side. With the lawyer he has now, she was sure that it would happen. In just a matter of days, Maka would smile again and every path in life would open up to her.

 _'This is golden! Your money is as good as mine.'_ That's all Julia Matthews had to say to change the whole script. The Evans family grew impatient and outraged as they nudged on Mr. Mosquito's shoulder. The judge once again called for order in the court which took quite a few minutes to retrieve. Everyone in the courtroom was completely taken off guard and Soul tried to hide back his smile knowing this little fact. Photographers from all over tried taking photos of the scene, but as soon as they did, they were quickly escorted out of the court and kicked out.

"ORDER! I DEMAND ORDER!" the judge's voice boomed off the walls of the courtroom. Some shushes were heard and soon enough, everyone gained their composure once again. All eyes were now on Justin as he set both disks aside in his briefcase where they belonged. His expression was completely calm and understanding. This was the reaction he had hoped to get.

"By this, we can gather that Ms. Matthews had edited this video, enticing my client and provoking him to make it look like he had tried to force himself upon her. What could she have gained from this? Blackmail. Why would Ms. Matthews do this? This way, she could squeeze money out of both my client and his brother. A couple of the wealthiest and most successful teenagers at the time in the country. How do we know this? Well, for one, she had just said it herself in the video. You saw her face yourself, ladies and gentlemen. You must open your eyes to the hidden facts. The reality that this woman has shown you isn't a reality at all. There was never any danger that would come to her- "

"OBJECTION!" a shaky voice called out once again. Justin held back from rolling his eyes to his easily intimidated opponent. Seems that the Evans and Matthews really worked him up to have been shaking the way he was.

"I object! You are clearly forcing your own made-up ideas into the mind of the jury. You can't make claims like this without solid evidence, Mr. Law! A measly video is not going to prove that Ms. Matthews had framed Mr. Evans. It still holds true that Soul Evans has stolen, beaten and robbed many people. How are you going to explain that Julia had any hand in him committing those crimes? Your Honor-!"

"Oh, I guarantee… I have the evidence. Your Honor, I am no amateur I plan to back up every claim I make in this court with solid, undeniable evidence that even you, Mr. Mosquito will not be able to fight against," Justin stated, pointing a finger at Mr. Mosquito. He was undoubtedly shaken to the core. The fear masked on his face settled Soul, knowing that even he wasn't prepared for what they were going to bring to the table.

The old judge nodded and allowed the defendant's lawyer to have a seat with the rest of his party, dismissing Soul along with him. Mr. Mosquito's turn was next, but the criminal didn't even bother to pay attention to him. The only defensive plan he had against this appeal was repeating to the court everything that he had previously said in the last trial. When the two brothers looked over to their parents and Julia's parents, they looked more than just annoyed. They were infuriated. Wes turned to his brother and smiled a knowing smile. That smile was the smile of someone who knew they were going to have the upper hand. Tell Soul something he didn't know! By the way Mosquito slurred his words and mumbled unsure, all three men knew exactly who was going to win this case for sure.

As soon as Soul was allowed to be seated at his respective table, Kami grabbed her things and saw herself out of the courtroom. _Maka will be happy again soon… I know that now. Treat her well, young man. She deserves nothing but the best after all she's been put through._

 ** _A/N: Alright, so I'll admit that there was more to this chapter, but because this chapter was supposed to be so long and because I left out this chapter for quite some time, I opted to update it early. There's gonna be a lot of law stuff going on in the next few chapters, so keep your eyes open for all the little details (; BTW, I have to state this now, it's been a really long time since I've been studying law, so I can't guarantee that everything'll be super accurate because I'm basing the trials off of the left over knowledge I have. Also, I'm in the process of re-reading all of my chapters to catch up on the details I have forgotten. I'm sure some of you noticed that I messed up some of the descriptions of character and the names in certain situations. I'll find a way around that, I promise haha it's actually getting on my nerves a little bit that I skimmed over that too quickly xD Anyway, wish me luck. I'll be graduating very shortly (in two weeks actually) so hopefully I'll have a little extra time to work on MIILWC and finish it up soon. Alright, I love you all sooooo much! Happy reading my beauties! Stay safe and live life to the fullest! ~LaurneaTheFirst_**


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